More To The Eye
by Renee Lenore
Summary: After dying a second time, Sakura knows that seeing the dead isn't the worst thing to ever happen to her. Now, they can torture her. Now, she will need help more than ever. -Eventual SasuSaku-
1. Prolouge

**Summary**: After her near-death experience when she was younger, Sakura was given the ability to communicate with the dead. But after dying and coming back on a mission, her ability is much stronger than before, with a another part to it that she never could have imagined: she can manipulate spirits. With her brother back in her life and the council using her, new changes and adventures are brought into her life, as well as new friendships and relationships. SasuSaku, ItaTia, NaruHina

* * *

Sakura silently slipped out of the building unnoticed, sweat beading her brow. She quickly wiped at it and tried to gain control of herself again before her teammates saw her. She knew that she still had a little over an hour left until they were supposed to meet back at the rendezvous point.

After a sudden nauseating feeling, Sakura rushed over to the small stream up ahead and fell to her knees, doubled over, emptying everything in her stomach. After a few dry heaves she fell onto her side, tears streaming down her cheeks as her body racked with quiet sobs.

_'Why did I ever agree to this? I'm practically a monster!'_

She waited until her body became still and her mind calmed down—she was a kunoichi, _damnit_! She was supposed to know how to control her emotions!

She should have known from the very beginning the horrors of this. Ever since the first time . . .

No. She couldn't even begin to think about that.

On shaky knees, Sakura stood and tried to clean up her dreadful appearance. _You look like you've seen a ghost,_ one might say if they saw her now.

_'Oh, if they could see me now . . ._' she thought bitterly.

And with that thought in mind, Sakura slowly began to tred back to where she was supposed to meet with her team. They could never know about this. They had accepted everything else before, but they would never tolerate what she was doing now. So it was a good thing that she kept this a secret to herself. The only others who knew were dead.

_Because two can keep a secret if one of them is dead._

* * *

**So this is the story that has completely taken over my mind the past week. I started it back in 2008 because of a sudden idea that I had to put down. But then i dropped it because I had no idea where the story was going. Recently, though, I was cleaning out my computer and found this story, all 13 chapters that I had started, and reread everything. I fell in love with it all over again! So I went ahead and imroved and rewrote A LOT of it and wrote out this HUGE plot line that I'm so into right now!**

**So, this is only the Prolouge. You'll understand it all better once the story continues. I am telling you, this is amazing so far! And for me to say that about my own work, I know you guys will love it, too! I AM GIDDY WITH ANTICIPATION!**

**And yes, real chapter will be much, much longer.**


	2. The Fall

_Four years earlier . . ._

"This food is so good!

Sakura slammed her head into the table, not caring if there would alter be a bruise. Didn't Naruto ever shut up? God, he was like a broken record. ' _And then Kakashi just has to have another mission and can't come with us!'_ Stupid man . . . he's probably reading that book again. Sakura wondered what it was even about . . . Naruto knew, but refused to tell her.

"Eh? Sakura, are you okay?"

"Can we just keep heading back to the village? You can eat that on the way back, Naruto!" she exclaimed. He shrugged and jumped off of the stool. Sasuke and Sakura got up as well as they headed for the end of the path leading us out of the small town they were in.

As they entered the forest and started through the trees and a leisurely pace, Naruto brought up conversation.

"Man, that was one of the easiest missions we've had in a long while!" he exclaimed. Sakura had to agree. All they had to do was guard some ancient book in a small library. It wasn't too difficult considering the people trying to steal it were below their own level.

Sakura smirked at Naruto's comment. She sighed out loud, ready to go home after three weeks away. It would only be another couple of nights until they were done from this mission and could relax until the next. She needed some time to herself, or at least with Ino. Ever since the Chunnin Exams, they were so much closer, it felt as if they were eight years old again. She loved Sasuke and Naruto to death, but there were just those times . . . she couldn't be around her boys forever, she needed her girl time. It was rare that she and Ino got together nowadays, so when they did see each other, the time spent lasted at least a few hours if they weren't already on their way to something important.

Sakura noticed Sasuke slow in his gait; she watched as he gazed around cautiously, as if looking for something. Naruto noticed also. He questioned his motives.

"There is supposed to have been attacks in this area—"

Before he could finish the sentence, a shower of shuriken rained down upon the three young ninja. They jumped out of the way, none of them hurt by the weapons. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, whipping his head around sharply, looking for their attacker. "Come out, coward!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura jumped when someone tried to knock her down from behind. When she landed, she got a good look at the enemy. It was a woman, probably twice their age. She had short, wispy black hair that angled down at her shoulders. She looked frail and weak, but Sakura knew better. The woman's eyes were a light, crystal blue with specks of gray. She raised her lean arm, and the ground before her followed. The raised earth shot out at Sakura, causing her to soar in the air, crashing into a tree. Her teammates came over immediately and Naruto helped her up while Sasuke kept an eye on their opponent. "She has earth-type chakra," he noted to the others. Sakura watched as he and Naruto gave each other a nod and charged off, combining Chidori and Rasengan together to finish off the woman. She sighed, pretty much expecting it.

_'I'm always left out of things!'_

A storm of dust rose into the air, covering the area. Sakura coughed a bit before looking into the brown cloud. As it began to clear, she noticed that Sasuke and Naruto had confused looks on their face. The woman was nowhere to be scene. "Did they not hit her or something?" she whispered. Sakura looked around, not able to see anything else. Suddenly she saw Sasuke and Naruto running to her, screaming at her to run. Turning wildly, Sakura gasped and took off, trying to put distance between her and the enemy. Pumping charka into her feet, Sakura accelerated to as fast as she could get herself to be. A wall of dirt came up and shoved her down out of nowhere.

Sakura felt a body pin her down and she struggled with all of her energy. She could taste dirt in her mouth as her faced was being pressed into the earth. She turned her head, trying to see. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her two teammates coming over to help. Sakura then felt herself being lifted off the ground, but so high that her feet were a foot off of the ground. Sasuke and Naruto stopped when they saw a blade against Sakura's throat.

Earth came up and wrapped tightly round Sakura, much like how it was when they were against Gaara. Sakura felt the air leave her and found it hard to get more. She started to become numb; she could hardly feel the blade anymore. Her vision blurred in and out as she started to feel lightheaded.

"Let her go!" the guys shouted simultaneously.

"You don't get it, do you?" the woman asked, giving them a tone.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke spat. Sakura faintly heard the woman cackle madly before becoming serious again. She struggled to stay awake; wanting to know what was going on.

"Of course, how would you know? You're just a bunch of kids! You wouldn't know about anything. You won't for a long time. In case you haven't even begun to notice, there is a pattern in life. It is delicate and should never be tampered with, yet many still try. You are born. You live. And then you die. But there are some people who try to change that pattern. Those people need to be punished." She gazed at Sakura for a moment. "You cheated death once—you won't be able to do it again," she whispered.

Sakura then became wide awake and aware as she felt a scorching pain charge throughout her entire body, mind, and soul. She felt herself fly back.

And back.

And back.

And _down_.

* * *

_Beep_

_Beep_

_Beep_

_Beep_

Sakura waited patiently as her senses slowly started to come back to her. The first was the sense that she was awake. Then, not long after she heard the mechanical beeping. It sounded distant, but she couldn't tell. Her mouth was dry and tasted stale for some reason.

And then came the pain. There was a vicious throbbing in her head, stronger on the top left side. Her back ached worse than she could have ever imagined. Her arms and ribs felt as if they had been ripped out and put back into her body and that area was never even sewn back up afterwards. She felt hot, yet freezing at the same time. She was just laying there but felt as if the room was spinning. She hadn't even opened her eyes yet.

Slowly her lids slid back, but closed at the intense light. She took her time adjusting to the brightness before keeping her eyes open. The back of them were sore as if she had been staring at the sun for a long period of time. It took her a moment to finally realize that she was in a white room. Tiled walls. Tiled ceiling. Tiled floor, probably, from what she could tell. Everything looked too clean. It smelled—sterilized.

She was in a hospital.

Sakura groaned internally. The last of thing she needed was another hospital bill—the last one wasn't even hers, yet she had to pay for it. Sakura tried sitting up, but failed, and moaned in the pain that shot down her side. The beeping from the monitor next to her quickened, and another beeping sounded. Though it more resembled a quick horn of sorts. The door to her room shot open, and a woman with short gray hair raced into the room.

"Dear, you shouldn't be awake yet!" she said frantically. More footsteps were heard and soon Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, and another man came into the small room following after the nurse.

The man stepped forward and Sakura was able to get a better look at him. Her breathing nearly stopped and her eyes widened as she stared back into the almost-identical green eyes. After a second, he pushed through everyone else and wrapped Sakura in his arms, holding her tightly.

"Oh, God," he whispered hoarsely. "You're okay."

* * *

**Sort-of-but-not-really-cliffy. To clarify things, this is NOT LIKE DARKEST POWERS! It is similar, but not in the way you would expect. I have an obssession with the afterlife, so this is my hybrid-imagination come to the internet!**

**The first several chapters will seem like it's moving really fast, but I kinda am trying not to have a plot drag on in one spot. It gets annoying after a while. **

**R&R PLEASE!**


	3. The Visitors

"You're okay, you're okay . . ." he said, repeating it over and over again. The others in the room turned their gaze away respectfully for a few moments.

"Miss Haruno? I need to check you," the nurse said timidly. Sakura whispered something in the man's ear and he pulled away, but he sat on the stool and kept a firm grip on her hand. While the nurse was going over the long check, Sakura introduced the unfamiliar person to her teammates.

"Guys, this is Riko . . . my older brother," she said, her voice hoarse with pain etched into it. Riko winced at the sound of it. It was almost as if she hadn't used her vocal chords for a few years, and was just now getting around to it. He found it hard to listen to.

Riko was tall with a lean build; he was dressed in black Shinobi pants with a gray shirt with a dark cloak over the outfit. He had deep dirty brown hair that just barely reached his chin and deep green eyes that were a few shades darker than his sister's. He had high cheekbones with a thin face. From what the others could tell, he looked to be in his late teens, possibly early twenties.

"What were you thinking?" he whispered, an underline of anger in his tone. Sakura started to take deep, shuttering breaths to try and calm herself as tears began rolling down her pale face. "Sakura, answer me!" he said, unintentionally raising his voice. Sakura continued to star at the white ceiling, determined to keep her mouth shut. "Sakura—"

"Like you can talk," she whispered. The room was silent for the rest of the time that the nurse was there. When she left, Riko turned his gaze to the remaining members of Team 7.

"I must ask for you all to leave now," he demanded. Naruto tried to go at him, but Kakashi held him back by the collar.

"You can't tell us what to do! I don't care if you _are _her brother, we'll stay with Sakura no matter what!" he yelled.

"Quiet Naruto. This is a hospital."

All eyes turned to Sakura in time to see her sitting up, gritting her teeth to fight the pain. When Riko tried to stop her, she gave him a glare that made him step back. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, her brows furrowing together from something no one could directly place. Her jaw clenched and unclenched over and over again.

"Do you really want us to leave, Sakura?" Sasuke asked in his tone casual. Kakashi had already gone when told. Sakura's eyes opened again. They looked as if she had aged one thousand years with all of the knowledge and pain that came with time.

"Yes," came her answer. With Naruto gaping at her, Sasuke dragged him out without any further questioning, though his eyes slightly betrayed him.

When they were gone, Riko turned to Sakura, his face and eyes blank. The silence between them was deafening, but different for the two people in the room. "Sakura, look at me." Sakura remained still, keeping her gaze forward, glued to the wall on the other side of the room. "Sakura," Riko repeated. His irritation arose when she ignored him further, so he stood and walked into her line of vision. When he did, he noticed how she flinched ever so slightly, and turned her head in another direction, not looking at him. "What is it?" he demanded.

"How are you here?" she asked.

"So we're changing the subject, now are we?"

"Missing Nin aren't allowed in the village. You know that," she said quietly. Sakura was still surprised that the nurse didn't recognize him. Riko sighed and sat down again. He should have known that this was coming—she would have asked sooner or later. He regretted not being there for his baby sister for the past five years of her life, but he had been keeping tabs on her. Her safety meant the world to him. She had always been a stickler for the rules, especially when it came to the point that someone's life was at stake if they didn't follow the rules and laws. Riko understood the consequences if he were discovered by someone that recognized him.

"Sakura, I'm fine," he said calmly.

"Is the rest of your team here? Or is it just you?"

"They are also here," he answered slowly. He wasn't sure what to make of that question. Sakura sighed in frustration, glaring at him. She coughed a few times before answering; her voice was still a bit raspy.

"Well, that just makes things so much easier," she mumbled sarcastically. "Someone is coming," she said after a moment. "Get out now before you can't," she whispered. Before she had even finished the sentence, her brother was gone, no trace of him ever being there left behind. Shizune walked into the room with a clipboard.

"Sakura, I was informed that you had woken up. How do you feel?"

* * *

"Are you sure you feel okay, Sakura?"

"Naruto, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?

"Yes."

"Positively sure?"

"Yes!"

"Positively absolutely—"

_BAM!_

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered, removing his fist from Naruto's skull. Sakura roller her eyes at the two of them—sometimes, they acted so childish!

It was a few weeks after Sakura had first woken up in the hospital. She was also in a different room than before—there was no need to have her in the intensive unit any longer, as she had recovered quite a bit.

"Sakura, why do you keep doing that?" Naruto asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

"Well, this is about the third time today that you put your head back against the wall and close your eyes like you're in pain or something. You do it constantly when we come to see you. Shizune said that there shouldn't be that much pain left; you leave in a few days."

"The dobe's got a point, Sakura," Sasuke commented. "It wouldn't do you any good to leave the hospital when there is still something wrong. It would only hinder your training; and health-wise, isn't good," he said in slight monotone, giving her a look that said that she was being pretty stupid.

"Sasuke, since when is my health any of your concern?" Sakura snapped. After the glare she received, she mumbled an apology. She shook her head and gazed out of the window to her right, sighing longingly. Her friends watched her in wonder, trying to figure her out. "I just want to get out of here."

"Do you hate being here?" Naruto asked.

"It's not that . . . I can't imagine how high the bill for being here is already; I can't stay any longer." When they gave her questioning looks, she continued. "My mom passed a few months before the mission was assigned," she explained. "I only have enough money to get by. The last thing I need is another hospital bill."

A knock at the door was heard and a figure walked in, his chakra completely masked. Sakura squinted her eyes at him—the build obviously stated the sex. He was hooded, even his face was hidden. He looked at the boys first—he looked at Sasuke for a second longer—before his eyes landed on Sakura.

"Who're you?" Naruto asked, tensing. The man ignored him, and walked towards Sakura. When he was only a few feet away, he nodded at her in a way that only a few people would. Sakura's eyes widened immensely as she stood and backed away from him. He sighed, and at that point she was dead sure who he was.

"Whatever it is that my brother wants you to tell me, I don't want to hear it!" she said quietly. He shook his head, and pulled an envelope out of the pocket of his cloak and handed it to her before disappearing. Sakura took one look at her teammates before opening the window and jumping out into the cold winter air before either of them could stop her.

"Any idea of what just happened?" Naruto asked. Sasuke simply shook his head and together they followed Sakura out the window.

* * *

**Yes, it is still confusing. But it will make a LOT more sense during the next two chapters! I really want feedback on this one; I love it so far, but since it's totally different than my other material, I would really love to know what everyone else thinks.**

**So, Riko comes in; he's a missing-nin. And WHO IS THIS MYSTERY GUY? Guess!**

**I'll update Royal Blood next, I promise!**


	4. The Gang's All Here

Sakura sat in her apartment's kitchen with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. The doctor recommended that she not have too many sweets, but it was Christmas Eve—it was impossible not to. She watched the falling snow outside the kitchen window, wishing she could just fall into a deep sleep, like the girl in Sleeping Beauty. She wouldn't have to worry about people waking her up and telling her about the horrors of the world like war and death. She wouldn't have to be paranoid about her friends getting hurt on missions.

Speaking of her friends . . .

She was surprised they hadn't found her yet—it has been an hour already. They were probably trying to find out where she lived now, seeing as how she never told them she had moved in the first place. Oh well, they were ninja. They'll figure it out eventually.

There was a knock at the door. Sakura rolled her eyes. Just when her migraine was starting to go away, she just _had _to have visitors. She got up and went to answer the door, but apparently whoever it was had already let themself in. And Sakura couldn't say that she was surprised that this person was hooded and mysterious. Sakura sighed (she seemed to be doing that a lot lately) and greeted the figure.

"Hello, Tiashi," she greeted in monotone. The woman walked in, removing her hood. Her short blonde hair framed her face which was pink from the cold.

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked, surprised. "I hid my chakra completely! There's no way you could have known!" she exclaimed.

"Riko has visited me, then your boyfriend, and so now another person with a cloak comes up to me. Who else would it be?"

"Ghost of Christmas?" she answered jokingly. Sakura smirked at the older shinobi. "You got any more of that cocoa?"

While Sakura was getting Tiashi a drink, she got down to business. "So why has my brother sent you?"

"Didn't you read the letter he sent?"

"Nope. Burned it. I figure if he's got something to say, he should say it himself instead of having someone do it for him." Tiashi nodded thoughtfully, understanding Sakura's point.

"But he knows that you don't want him getting arrested, so he is keeping himself hidden for your happiness so that he can still make sure you're safe—"

"By running around with a price on his head? Yeah, that makes me so happy," she said sarcastically. "He showed up in the hospital, why not now?"

"First, he had to see for himself that you were okay, instead of someone else sugarcoating it for him. Second, he sent me here because he wants to know how you ended up in the hospital. He only knew before that you were hurt because of a rumor going around about what happened in that area. He would love to ask you himself, but he doesn't want you getting in his face about him being here in the village."

"Well, he will get his answer when he asks it himself."

"Fine, then I'll ask. Sakura, how did you end up in a hospital?"

Both females turned to see Riko leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen with his arms crossed over his chest. Sakura could tell that he was angry with her stubborn attitude. Sakura motioned for her brother to sit down. When he did, she started explaining until another person entered her apartment. It was the man from before in the hospital. Sakura banged her head on the table, not caring if it increased her headache.

"The whole team? Riko, are you completely insane?" she shouted.

"Probably. You were saying?"

Sakura started with the fact that she had to ask her teammates. When Sasuke and Naruto had come back after her brother had left, they gave her the play-by-play on what happened on the mission. She had been captured by the strange woman—whom the still couldn't identify—and she had tried throwing her off of the cliff behind the fight. Sasuke and Naruto had been held off while Sakura fell—and she unfortunately did complete her fall. By the time her teammates had reached her a minute after she had crashed to the ground, Naruto was summoning medical ninja and Sasuke was checking Sakura's pulse. It had turned out that when he first checked, there had been no pulse at all. The medics found none either and couldn't revive her for the first minute that they had tried. Right when they were about to call it quits, Sakura had somehow, in some impossible way, show signs of life, and at that point they were all transferred to the village hospital.

When she finished, the older people in the room were deep in thought. "Riko, why does that woman sound familiar?" Tiashi asked. Riko shook his head.

"Not sure—" He paused. A few seconds later, there was a pounding on the door. Sakura got up quickly and motioned for the three to leave. Riko shook his head. "I want to meet these two teammates of yours, Sakura." Sakura's eyes widened in horror at his suggestion.

"Are you kidding? You'll be discovered!" She then pointed to the remaining masked man. "And you! I thought you wanted to keep Sasuke from knowing everything?" Before he could retort, there was a banging on the front door.

"Sakura! We know you're here! Open up!" Naruto shouted. Suddenly the front door burst open and off its hinges as they walked in. As the two boys walked into the room, Sakura tried to calm herself. "Sakura, why'd you run off suddenly—hey! You're that guy from the hospital—oh, and you're brother's here, too?" Naruto kept running off questions while Sasuke stood there, staring at Tiashi.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" he asked her suspiciously. She tensed up, narrowing her eyes at him in irritation (though Sakura knew it was only an act).

"No, I'm afraid not—"

"Liar. I _do_ know you. You were Itachi's girlfriend before he killed the clan. You are supposed to be dead," he stated. Sasuke then turned to the hooded man beside her. After a moment he glared at him, his chakra levels intensifying. "_You,_" he growled.

"Me," the man said, lowering his hood. The face beneath it was none other than the face of Itachi Uchiha. Naruto jumped back, shocked.

"Wait . . .! You were there in the hospital earlier!" he exclaimed in realization.

Sasuke's head shot over to Sakura, furry in his eyes. Sakura flinched at the look in his expression, already fearing the worst. "Back at the hospital . . . did you already know who he was?" he asked quietly. Sakura closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, trying to relieve herself of the headache that had just come at full force. What was she supposed to tell him? She knew who it was before he had even come into the room, though she wasn't really sure if that was even her fault or not. She watched as Sasuke's eyes became angrier—and felt her headache turn into a migraine. "You knew who he was?" he shouted. "Do you have any idea what he's done? He's the reason—"

"Will you just shut up?" Sakura growled at him. "If anyone here is just going to scream and yell, then leave—better yet: Riko can knock you out," she said, her irritation getting the better of her. Naruto sat down at the table, doing his best to stay quiet. He was confused, and a little angry and afraid that Itachi was here in the same room as him and Sasuke. But then again, he wanted to know what was going on, so he figured it best to just shut up and listen.

Sasuke on the other hand wasn't having any of it. He charged at Itachi head-on, Chidori already up and blazing with power. When he reached his brother, Itachi grabbed him by the wrist and twisted him around, pinning him to the wall and shoving his forearm further up his back, earning a shout of pain from the younger Uchiha. "Haven't we tried this kind of thing already? It didn't end very well in your case, in case you have forgotten," he said, annoyed. Riko sighed.

"Itachi, let him go," he ordered, as if this was something that happened often and it was just part of their lives—like Sakura beating up Naruto. Sakura turned to her brother, a suspicious look in her eyes.

"Okay, so you know that I'm all well and okay—so why are you and your friends still here?" she asked, not bothering any longer with beating around the bush. Riko ran a hand through his hair and started to pace around his sister's kitchen. "Riko!"

"I'm not leaving until I get a straight answer, Sakura! You say you're fine, but I know that's a bunch of crap. There's something going on with you and the fact that you aren't telling me everything—"

"Why should I tell you? You wouldn't even stay long enough to help out! Ever since Danzo started his scheming, you've been running around the world doing who-knows-what! Why would you even care now about what happens to me?" she shouted. "And don't even start giving me that 'because you're my sister' stuff again—it's gotten old—"

Sakura suddenly fell to the ground unconscious as Tiashi lowered her hand from where it had hit Sakura in the back on the neck. "Do you have a reason for that?" Riko questioned.

"I think I might know what's wrong with her," she whispered.

* * *

**So, we now know who the mystery guy is! Can you say you were very surprised? I love Itachi! And Tiashi, if you haven't recognized from two other stories of mine, is my own character! Sooner or later I'll post a link on my profile to show what she looks like. And yes, I will always pair her up with Itachi. Because I can!**

**So, I'm probably not going on that vacation I was talking about the last chapter. There's too many events coming so...yeah. School starts next month! And I have no study, meaning a full schedual, and Yeabook class will demand that I stay after school a lot to finish deadlines. But I'll keep updating when I can!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	5. A Theory

**...I own nothing. **

* * *

"_They say that blood is thicker than water. Maybe that's why we battle our own with more energy and gusto than we would ever expand on strangers."  
-David Assael_

* * *

"Who are you people for real?" Naruto screamed, standing. He found it impossible to stand by and watch them hurt his teammate. He was debating on going over and helping Sasuke get out of Itachi's hold.

"Naruto, do something!" Sasuke shouted. Itachi then smacked him on the side of the head, scowling.

"Do you want to be unconscious, too? Because it can be easily arranged," he said.

Suddenly Sasuke and Naruto found themselves being trapped and bound against the far wall, chakra binds keeping them immobile. They watched as Tiashi laid Sakura's body on the table face-up. Riko went around and shut the blinds in the windows that to prevent people from outside to see what was going on. Itachi walked over to Sakura's head and laid his fingers on her forehead.

"_Don't touch her_!" Sasuke screamed at him. His face had a murderous look on it as Itachi stared back calmly.

"I'm not going to hurt her, Sasuke," he said.

"I don't trust you! After you killed the clan—"

"Kid, get over it already," Tiashi muttered. "Go ahead, Itachi."

With his two fingers from each hand on her forehead, chakra emitted from the tips and into Sakura's head. The green color then turned black as the girl's body twitched slightly every other moment. Itachi's brow furrowed for a moment in a combination of confusion and concentration. He was vaguely aware that Sasuke was still struggling against the chakra binds and that the blonde kid was looking at him strangely. He decided that it kind of bothered him.

He was about to tell the kid to quit staring at him when he came across something odd in the young girl's mind. He focused in more with his chakra, going deeper into her mind. Whatever it was, it wasn't anything normal, that was for sure. He probed at whatever it was . . .

"AH!"

The man flew back into the wall, his head making a crashing sound on impact. As he slid to the floor, blood starting to drip from his mouth, Tiashi rushed over to him. "What happened?" she asked worriedly. Itachi struggled to stand, but fell down once more, his energy gone completely. He brought his hand up to whip the blood from his chin, all the while gazing at the body on the table. "Itachi, answer me! What was that?"

"I'm . . . not sure . . ." he mumbled. He tried standing up again, this time succeeding, and shakily walked over to get himself a glass of water. He saw that this time, not only was Naruto staring at him, but Sasuke had frozen and was staring as well. Itachi found it odd that he could only get so far into her head. He was able to access almost everything except memories of the last few months. It was as if that whole block was restricted area, so to speak, and he wasn't allowed in. "Riko!" he shouted. The man walked in from one of the other rooms.

"What?"

"I need you to come take a look at this—I'm not sure what it is," he said. Riko placed his hands on either side of Sakura's head, concentrating his chakra into her memory. Before long, he was also shocked back into a wall. He scoffed while standing up. "Do you know what it is?"

"Yeah, and I blame kids at the Academy."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke and Naruto asked in unison. Riko rubbed at the back of his neck, working out a kink before answering.

"When she was little, she was bullied by people in her class—even before I left. I think there were multiple reasons for the teasing, but the main reason was because her forehead seemed larger than most, I guess. Well, I guess she kind of built herself an alter-ego against it all—"

"That was what happened in the Chunnin Exams!" Naruto exclaimed. Everyone looked at him.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.

"Kakashi didn't tell you? Well Sakura and Ino were against each other in the preliminary rounds, and then Ino trapped Sakura in a mind transfer jutsu, but Sakura was able to shove Ino out of her head—maybe that was her alter-ego thingy!" he said.

"Yeah, that sounds like it."

"But we still haven't figured out what was wrong with her," Tiashi pointed out. "Have we?" She and Riko looked at Itachi, who rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"I have a theory, but it's sort of outlandish and bizarre," he said. Riko narrowed his eyes at his teammate.

"Well?"

"Before I give you an answer, I want to try something out—a little experiment, if you will," he said. "Just something small, nothing too extreme." Riko gazed sideways at his unconscious sister, contemplating.

"What kind of experiment?"

"Are you _serious_?" Sasuke exclaimed, becoming furious again. Everyone else in the room looked over at him. Tiashi gave him an irritated glare that basically said 'shut up'. "You're going to let this guy mess with your sister? I don't care what you think of him—he's crazy!" the younger Uchiha shouted angrily. Riko gave the kid a glare that could rival and probably beat Itachi's.

"Listen, you brat; I'm tired of hearing you shout and complain about things, and I'm positive that everyone else feels the same way. Now I've known Itachi longer than you've even been alive, and Tiashi and I have been through everything with him—so don't go giving me this crap about his being some hell-bent monster because frankly, you're one of the most . . . gah!" he threw his hands in the air, "I can't even find a word for you!" he roared, his voice level raising. "You—"

"Stop."

The room became silent as five people watched the weak girl sit up on the table, swinging her legs over the edge and leaning her elbows on her knees. Her head was bent so that her face was invisible, her hair falling down like a veil. "Sakura, are you okay? And tell the truth this time!" his brother demanded, forgetting about Sasuke completely. Sakura gave him no indication that she heard his question. Instead, she slowly raised her head to look the older Uchiha dead in the eyes.

"You . . ."

Itachi started to slowly back up and away from Sakura.

". . . should have stayed out of my head," she whispered hoarsely.

And then all hell broke loose.

* * *

**And then all hell broke loose...worst cliffy ever... oh well! **

**I SAW PARAMORE YESTERDAY (along with Tegan and Sara and New Found Glory) AND THE CONCERT WAS EPIC. Justin Beiber was also performing like, three miles away, so everyone decided to bash on him. Because Paramore is better. I didn't get home until like, almost two in the morning. So I'm tired as fuck.**

**Anyway! I'd like reviews on this story, but it's okay. As long as people keep reading it, I'm happy either way. So this chapter is shorter than most with this story. But the next one will be longer (I think...)**

**I'll update Royal Blood tomorrow.**


	6. The Confession

"_I hope the leaving is joyful; and I hope never to return."  
-Frida Kahlo_

* * *

Itachi's body flew up and into the air. He was smashed flat against the ceiling, his body making an imprint while cracks formed in the material around him, some of it falling to the ground. A second later, his body slowly peeled itself off of the ceiling due to gravity, and he crashed into the floor, rolling onto his side to try and get up.

There was an invisible force churning violently around the room. The power of it sent everyone crashing into the walls, away from Sakura.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Tiashi screamed at the girl. "Stop this now!" she ordered.

Sakura gritted her teeth against the pain shooting through her body, not being able to control what was taking over her. It all hurt so badly. She wanted so badly to just give in and give up—but her friends and brother were in there with her, and she wouldn't allow them to get hurt because she wasn't strong enough to withstand a little pain. _'Pain is all in a state of mind!'_ she told herself forcefully. Sakura focused all of her attention on control, ignoring the pain as best as she could in her weakened state. She willed herself to force it back. '_I can't let this happen!'_ she screamed in her head. _'The seal can't be broken again!'_

Her body slipped to the floor, it was so frail and weak. She could slowly feel the pain receding and her limbs going numb. She wondered slightly why no one outside could hear what was going on in her apartment. She guessed it was some jutsu Riko put on the walls. In her peripheral she saw Naruto and Sasuke come up to her, chakra binds broken and useless across the room.

"Sakura, are you okay? What was that?" Naruto asked frantically.

Sasuke's head shot up, glaring at the three older people in the room. "Someone better start explaining things and fast," he said, his voice dark and demanding. He desperately wanted to charge at his brother, but he knew that wouldn't be the brightest idea after what happened last time. Plus, to make things worse, there was something wrong with Sakura, something that these strangers were more aware of than he was. And that was something he wasn't okay with.

"Yeah, what's wrong with her?" Naruto shouted. Itachi rubbed tiredly at his face.

"I think . . ." he motioned for the older two to come over. He whispered something in their hearing range that Sasuke and Naruto couldn't pick up. Then they pulled back. Riko stared at him as if he had grown a second and third head.

"Are you on drugs?" Tiashi asked him. Itachi ignored her rude remark and turned to Sasuke and Naruto, who were still crouched beside their female teammate.

"Is it true that you found her with no pulse at the bottom of the cliff?" he asked.

"Yes," Sasuke answered, still glaring hatefully at his brother. "Why?"

"Because I came back," Sakura said unsteadily. She sat up slowly and turned around, leaning against the counter behind her. "Do you remember how our attacker said that I wouldn't cheat death again?" she asked Sasuke and Naruto. They nodded while her brother helped her up into a chair. "When I was three years old, I had to get a heart transplant. During the surgery, I was clinically dead for a little less than an hour. My body was 'dead', but I myself wasn't. That lady knew me because her daughter went through the same surgery on the same day. She didn't survive it. I guess in a way it's just her way of making things fair."

"So that's why she tried to kill you," Naruto concluded. "But . . ."

"I did die on that mission," Sakura said emotionlessly. Her audience's eyes widened slightly in shock.

"Oh my gosh . . . did you . . .?" Tiashi couldn't even finish the question. Sakura chuckled.

"Did I see heaven or hell?" She paused, glancing at her teammates. "Sasuke, Naruto . . . I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you two to leave—"

She found herself being yanked up by the arm and dragged into another part of the house. She waved off her brother and allowed Sasuke to lead her into the bedroom. He slammed her against the far wall, glaring at her.

"We are not leaving!" he growled.

"Sasuke—"

_"Don't even try arguing with me, Sakura!"_ he seethed, trying to keep his voice down. Sakura just stared at him, not bothering to try and match his act of intimidation.

"Will you just let me talk for once?" she asked bluntly. Sasuke loosened the firm grip he had on her arm, but didn't let go or back away. _'Why does he have to be so much taller?'_ she wondered idly. "Sasuke—"

"You don't get it! Itachi—"

"Quit interrupting me!" she shouted. "I know how much you hate your brother—your malice for him radiates off of you whenever his name is even mentioned. Sasuke . . ." Sakura sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Look, now really isn't a good time. I understand that you don't want Itachi hurting any more people you care about—I was in fact conscious when you made that statement while we were facing Gaara," she confessed. "But I can assure you that Riko would never let Itachi do anything to harm me in any way, okay?" She searched his face. His eyes were tight with disbelief, his jaw still clenched in sudden anger towards her. She could see from the insane madness in his eyes that he still held so much anger and detestation towards his brother—it had only grown ever since the incident from five years ago. "Sasuke, I know that this is hard for you to do. But I need to speak with my brother _alone_," she emphasized.

"And why does _he_ have to be here for that?" he asked harshly. Sakura ignored the oncoming headache.

"Sasuke, I can't really explain right now. But I promise that I'll explain everything to you and Naruto later." When he didn't back away, she continued. "If he does anything that hurts me, may hurt me, or if he threatens me or makes me feel uncomfortable in any way, I'll tell you immediately, alright?" she tried. For a few seconds Sasuke stared at her intently, but slowly came to reluctantly believe her. The hand on her arm slipped and he slowly back away.

"I still don't trust him . . ." he said. "But I can trust you . . . Sakura," he said as he walked out of the room. After a moment Sakura followed.

She reentered the kitchen to see Naruto being dragged out by the collar of his jacket by a pissed Sasuke. She almost laughed at the sight. She sat down in a chair and gazed steadily at the three ninja in front of her.

"Alright . . . as anything, and I will tell you everything that I can."

* * *

**Because you all are super amazing. I was reading the review, and they made me smile! You guys are simply the greatest, for all who reviewed and even the ones who didn't. Even if you just read it for the hell of it, your support means so much to me. Thank you!**

**Right now, I'm making a playlist for this story. So if there is a song that you thinks fits a particular moment, PM me and I'll add it! Whether the lyrics fit, or just the feel of the music with the moment, just tell me.**

**I'm very into this story, like you wouldn't beleive. After I finish Royal Blood, I'm going to take a tiny break from vampires for a short time and focus on this and my Darkest Powers story I'm writing up.**

**Please Review! 3**


	7. Family Lost and Family Gained

"_When you lose someone you love, you die too, and you wait around for your body to catch up."  
-John Scalzi_

* * *

"Sasuke, what the hell?" Naruto shouted. He pulled himself out of Sasuke's grasp and ran up to block his path. The blonde glared at his rival and friend. "Are we seriously just going to leave Sakura there with those psychos?"

He was immediately hushed by the young Uchiha. Sasuke glanced quickly around the area, making sure no one was around to hear them. The last thing they needed was people questioning them about it or worse, reporting something under the lines of suspicion. Because as much as he wanted all of the top ANBU to know that there were criminals in the village, a gut feeling told him that he had to keep it all under wraps no matter what. He couldn't say that he agreed with the feeling, but that feeling was almost always right when it told him something was better that what he really wanted to do.

Once he felt that they were okay, he continued to walk down the dark and deserted street towards the training grounds. He shoved his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders, fighting to cold. He barely noticed how Naruto was still trying to talk to him until he felt himself trip and almost fall.

Sasuke turned sharply and gave to blonde Gennin a glare more powerful than any glare he had ever given off before. "What do you want?" he asked through clenched teeth, thoroughly irritated. Naruto didn't back down, though.

"Why did we just leave?" he asked, keeping his voice down. "Have you gone insane? Itachi could hurt her!" Sasuke's eyes turned into slits.

Naruto punched a wall when Sasuke disappeared in a _**POOF! **_He would have to wait until later to get an answer.

Sasuke leaned back against the large bare tree, taking deep breaths. '_What is wrong with me? Why did I leave her alone with him?' _He listened as another side of him raged, while the small, mostly ignore, and rational side told him that he was overreacting.

She's fine. Her brother is with her.

_'But do you know her brother or trust him?'_

Sasuke gritted his teeth. It was pointless to wonder why he was so worried—in a way, he did care about Sakura. She was his teammate and a good friend, as much as he hated to admit it. He knew that he didn't have much left to fight for if he didn't count his revenge, but she and Naruto and Kakashi were like a second family to him. He could fight for them. At times, they made him forget about the horrors that his past showed him. They gave him a new light to go into instead of the deathly shadows that awaited him.

But then _he_ showed his face.

Before he knew what he was doing, Sasuke was charging across the field to the trees on the other side. He gathered chakra into his foot and smashed it into the tree he came to first with a round-house kick that left it to fall with a crash to the pure white snow.

After staring at the destruction he made, he stalked off into the cold.

The wind blew against him as he walked into it, determined to get to his destination. He was headed to a place where no one would ever find him and wouldn't disturb him. A place he went when the pain and anger became too much for even him—a cold-hearted avenger—to bear.

He knew he should have put on a coat—a long sleeved shirt wasn't enough, apparently. Sasuke could feel the start of the tremors that would pass through his body as it would try to keep itself warm. He felt his fingers go numb and his eyes start to water from the bitter wind. At least he was smart enough to put on long pants. But the weather wasn't going to stop him this time.

The young boy felt a pang of relief when he reached the top of the hill and looked down over the cemetery. He started to trek down, but soon found himself rolling instead. At the bottom he forced himself to get up, despite how cold he was.

Sasuke slowly walked among the dead, his eyes fixed steadily on the tombstones at the very back. At the point where he was only about five feet away from them, he fell to his knees and crawled towards the space in front of both them. His body tipped sideways into the freezing snow. He didn't bother getting himself up again, having lost his energy.

He kept his eyes on the graves in front of him. The only things engraved on them were the names of the two people dates of birth and death, and the symbol of their clan.

A fan.

_'I miss you so much . . .'_

* * *

"Sakura, please tell me this is a joke."

"Would I joke about this, you idiot?" she asked, taking a swig of the sake.

"And will you put down the alcohol?"

"It helps ease the pain," Tiashi explained. Riko stood and glared at her.

"Don't justify it! This is under-aged drinking! It isn't healthy for her!" Itachi shook his head at the man's ranting.

"Riko, she's fine as long as she doesn't finish the bottle—Tiashi and I diluted the beverage so it wouldn't do too much. She needs to think clearly for this—"

"Alcohol doesn't clear someone's head—"

"Think of it like an opposite effect with her condition—"

"You make it sound like I'm mental, or something," Sakura stated, her words slurred slightly from the booze. "And he's right; it helps keep things quiet so that I _can_ think. Ugh, this all sucks balls," she mumbled.

"Interesting choice of words," the older woman muttered. "So what are we going to do about this?" she asked to no one in particular. Sakura set down the bottle and glared at everyone.

"What do you mean 'we'?" she asked. "This is my problem—it's not that much different from before, only stronger," she said to her older brother. "You all need to get out of here before someone finds you. Especially you, Uchiha," she said, addressing Itachi. "If Danzo finds out that you're here, Sasuke is screwed to hell." The older Uchiha gave her a glare that would normally send a grown man running for his mother, but Sakura just stared him down, already used to the attitude of an Uchiha. Then she told him so, that the glaring contest was pretty much pointless. Itachi rolled her eyes at that, but backed off.

"Sakura, I'm not leaving you alone—"

"Riko, you need to leave. You guys have more important things to worry yourselves with. I do not need to be . . . _babysat_," she said with slight disgust at the idea. "I can take care of myself for a little while. Besides, I'll be seeing you again soon enough," she informed.

"And what makes you think that?"

"Because I know you won't leave me alone. You're far too overprotective," she said with a cold smile.

Riko smiled and shook his head. "Fine. But I will be checking up on you every month or so. I don't know how, but I will," he said with a promise in his voice. Sakura stood and hugged her brother. "Make sure you tell your teammates about this. They don't deserve to be in the dark." Sakura nodded.

"See ya," she said. "And be careful."

This time it was Riko's time to nod. "Let's go, you guys," he ordered. In an instant they were gone, the jutsu lifted from Sakura's apartment.

* * *

**Okay. first. Is anyone else annoyed when during the EDIT/PREVIEW DOCUMENT thing, you try to scroll down, and it like, has a siezure or something? Seriously, that pisses me off.**

**Technology's a betch.**

**Anywho, it's like, 11 at night, and I was up and was all, "hey. I'll upload a chapter. Yeah."**

**So. Here. **

**Enjoy...**

**Who REALLY actually likes this so far? If you've been reading it, or have suscribed to it, faved it, PLEASE POST A REVIEW SO I KNOW! I'm like, OCD about these things. And remember, if some of my writing seems...different, than it is in RB, this is because almost half of what I have so far was written like, over two years ago when I was 13 or something. Obviously, my style has matured since, so just...bare with me here. :/**

_**IMPORTANT!**_** So, at the very end of this story, I'm putting together this huge thing you can download. It will include a list of all the songs that has inspired me throughout this (put together in an artsy-fartsy kinda way) and all of the songs. No, there is no cost. It will be posted on my DevaintArt account (NOT the photography one-the one that has the same FF name). So be expecting that. If you'd like to contribute song choices, PM me and I'll add your name to a special add-in list thing. **

**:)**


	8. Secrets Revealed

**I own nothing . . .**

* * *

"_I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."  
-Herb Caen_

* * *

Sakura stood and put on her coat, heading out of the house. She quickly made her way to Naruto's place, figuring it best to tell him the details first. She had a feeling that it would be a lot of trouble telling Sasuke, without giving away too much away. The last thing she needed at the moment was Itachi getting on her case about the whole ordeal.

As she approached Naruto's apartment, she suddenly became nervous and self-conscious. But there was no going back—she was already knocking on his door.

It opened and she kept her eyes on her feet. '_Crap, the alcohol is wearing off,_' she realized. He was surprised to see her, and then the felt his relief.

"Sakura!"

"Naruto, we need to talk," she said. He stepped aside to let her in. To her surprise his place wasn't as messy as she once imagined it would be. She sat herself down in one of the chairs at his small dining table. "No, Naruto, I'm not leaving to go with my brother," she said, slightly irritated that he would think that.

Naruto's eyes widened, disbelief shooting though him. '_Did she just . . .?'_

"Naruto, it's really easy to tell what you're thinking," she deadpanned. Naruto laughed and sat down with her at his kitchen table.

"Sakura, what's going on?" he asked. "How is it possible that you like, came back from the dead _twice?" _Sakura smirked at him.

"Naruto, after everything we've seen on missions, should you really be asking if something is or isn't possible?" she asked teasingly, but at the same time seriously. Naruto thought about that for a moment, then laughed a bit.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. Sakura sighed mentally in relief. She figured it might be easier to talk to him if she could somehow lighten to mood in the room.

"Okay, so how much of the conversation were you listening to back in my kitchen?" she asked.

"Well, the enemy wanted you dead because her daughter was dead and you weren't. And then that you died on the mission, but came back," he said. Sakura nodded—she didn't know he could pay attention that well considering who was there and what all was happening.

"Okay, so here's the thing—"

"Wait! Why was Itachi there—you didn't seem to be afraid of him at all. Why? Is there something Sasuke and I don't know?"

"Let's just say that Itachi isn't exactly that bad of a guy. I know he killed his clan and all, but it was an order by the High Council of Konoha. Before you ask any questions, let me explain. The first Uchiha was friends with the man who was to become the first Hokage. They built this village together over one hundred years ago. At the time, the two clans were cool and all with each other—but then Madara, the man who helped build the village, decided that Konoha needed an ultimate leader. The village didn't choose him, as you know. Madara was not a happy camper. He wanted the Uchiha Clan to be in control of the Leaf Village."

"Is it just me or does power-hunger run through the family?"

"Probably. Anyway. I have to tell you that Madara created the Mangekyou Sharingan. Both he and his younger brother had it. But then he took out his brother's eyes so that he could attain some kind of complete power of the sharingan without losing his sight along with it."

"Freak," Naruto mumbled, crossing his arms with an eye-roll.

"Pretty much. Now stop interrupting unless it's important. He tried to get the clan to fight against the Hokage to take control of the village. They refused, so he took matters into his own hands. I don't remember all of the details, but he did something to himself so that I guess he would never age or something along those lines—it's a lot more powerful that Orochimaru's reincarnation jutsu. Well, although he would say that it was just a freak accident of nature that the whole thing even occurred, I believe that Madara came back and attacked the village, and he wasn't alone. With him, he was controlling the Nine-Tailed Fox demon," she said, watching Naruto carefully.

The boy froze, realizing things for the first time. "It was him . . . not me . . ."

"No, you had nothing to do with destroying the village thirteen years ago. It was all him. The Fox can be controlled by the Sharingan."

"Does Sasuke or Itachi know that?"

"Itachi does, but Sasuke has no idea. As you also know, the Fourth Hokage put the demon inside you—and no; I don't know why he chose you. But the Village Council believed that the attack was the Uchiha Clan's fault. Remember that the battle between Madara and the First was decades earlier, and Madara was reported dead. So the clan was unlawfully blamed. There was really no proof saying who did it."

"What happened?"

"The entire clan was moved into their own sector of the village so that they could be kept an eye on."

"Like a relocation camp—prisoners of war?"

"More along the lines of the first one. So they were pretty upset, but the clan leader was royally pissed. So for years he planned a coup d'état against the village council and hokage. He was much more persuasive with the clan members than Madara was. He was able to convince the clansmen that overthrowing those in higher control could be justified because they were blamed for something was had nothing to do with them. I will admit that what they were thinking was wrong, but they had every right to be angry. The man who was leader at the time was Fugaku Uchiha, Sasuke and Itachi's father."

"Does Sasuke know that?"

"No. Considering his age, he was never told a thing. As you might have guessed, Itachi was a prodigy of the Uchiha. His father used that to his advantage."

"Was Itachi all for it?"

"Well . . . not at the end, I know that. You see, when Itachi was about five, he saw war and death. That experience alone made him into a pacifist. He wanted peace, and hated fighting unless it was for a mission or to protect the people he cared about. Itachi became a direct ANBU for the hokage, and he trusted the Third completely; he was very loyal. The clan wanted to use Itachi as a spy on him and the council. But instead, Itachi was a double-agent—he spied on the clan for Lord Hokage," she said. Naruto's eyes scrunched in confusion.

"Why?"

"I think it was because he believed that if the Uchiha did attack, it would become an all-out civil war, causing a large number of casualties for both sides. And that's true. It took a lot out of him to go back and forth between family and duty. He trusted no one except for my brother and Tiashi. They were all in the academy together, all of them gifted with power. They were put on the same Gennin squad and went on through the Shinobi career together as one team. They knew that something was going on with him, and I guess they forced it out of him. Since then, they were helping him along, doing their best to make sure that he didn't lose his sanity. Another person that kept him collected was Sasuke."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah—from what Riko told me, they had a bond like no other. But then it came to the point where Itachi had to make a decision—convince the clansmen that they needed to stop, or annihilate them."

Naruto leaned back, starting to go into shock. "He chose to kill his own family . . ."

"But you have to realize that there weren't many other options—with their mindset, I don't think persuasion would have worked."

"But then . . . what did he tell Sasuke?" Naruto asked. Sakura shrugged.

"I don't know exactly, but something along the lines of 'to test his power'. Anything to make Sasuke hate him. I honestly don't know why Itachi thought that he needed Sasuke to hate him and kill him. It still seems a bit strange to me," she admitted. "Itachi is here because when he was about to leave the village after the massacre, his teammates stopped him. They said that family doesn't leave each other to deal with the world alone. Against his wishes, they went with him."

Naruto gazed ahead. "So Itachi still loves Sasuke?" The question was rhetorical, but Sakura nodded anyway.

"Sasuke isn't allowed to know . . . but that will probably change very soon. So don't say anything to him until I say so, got it?"

He seemed to shake himself back to normal. "Okay, so how is it that you cheated death?" he asked.

* * *

**So. I'm really hoping no one seems too out of character. But, considering the type of situation, I think they're fine.**

**Late, yes. But I've made the mistake of filling nearly every hour of my day with shit I don't have to do. Such as:**

** 1) 8 classes everyday (no study hall; two honor classes)**

** 2) I'm in a Quartet (which I love; we meet every Tuesday for an hour after school)**

** 3) I'm in Jazz Cats (which is okay . . . we meet for an hour after school every Monday and Wednseday)**

** 4) German Club and Art Club (I don't remember when meetings are, but they're once a month, and I'm an officer in German Club)**

** 5) Yearbook Staffer (requires going to stuff I don't give a shit about)**

** 6) Piano lessons (and the stuff keeps getting harder!)**

** 7) And now I'm looking for a job. Because nothing in life is free. (unfortunately)**

**Soooo...yeah. Do you understand why it's so hard to update or find time to write? I'm such an idiot, but I'm not giving up on this. Or any of it...**

**TTFN**


	9. So Close

"_There's a strange sort of quiet when you're dying. It's as if you're in a glass room, and the walls keep getting thicker and thicker."  
-Gabrielle Zevin_

* * *

Sakura trudged along through the dark streets, irritation beginning to get into her. She left Naruto's place around twenty minutes ago to find Sasuke and tell him everything—that she was allowed to tell him.

'_Itachi, you're a fruit for not wanting him to know.'_ She thought sourly.

Her mood was pretty decent when she left the blonde's. He kept an open mind and believed everything she said—she could feel it. He even seemed excited to know someone who could do what she could. He asked a lot of question, some of which Sakura wasn't able to answer because they were just so bizarre.

What she was grateful for was that Naruto didn't consider her a freak—he still treated her like he did before this all happened. She supposed it was because he knew what it felt like to be different from everyone else.

_'Where the hell is he?'_ she thought.

She had first tried his apartment. No luck. She tried the training grounds. They were all empty, but one had a fallen tree that had been severed a few feet from the base. She knew that it wasn't a natural cause, either. The tree was splintered cleanly and the ends were slightly singed by what she recognized would be from excessive chakra release upon impact. She could only guess that this was Sasuke's doing.

'_By the looks of how recent it is, he did it after he left. It was probably out of anger.'_ Sakura snorted, shaking her head. That was just like Sasuke, to take out his feelings on inanimate objects that did nothing wrong to him in the first place. '_That boy has serious issues,_' she mused. '_But where is he?'_

Now _that_ was the real question.

Sakura was about to go home, deciding to wait until the next morning to find her teammate, but she noticed something.

Footprints.

She followed them, going at an even pace. Along the way, though, they seemed to change, becoming different and . . . odd looking. The interval of space between each footprint slowly became smaller instead of the large, quick gait Sasuke possessed. And then, not only were they close together, but there was a little thin line between steps of the same foot, making them connected. Those lines got thicker and deeper as Sakura trudges along. It soon made it look like he was dragging his feet—

Sakura broke off into a sprint as she followed the trial her friend had left. She struggled to try and remember what Sasuke was wearing when he left. Long pants . . . sensible shoes . . . long sleeved shirt, but it was rather thin . . .

And nothing else.

Not even a coat of any kind.

Sakura cursed out loud. "Sasuke, why are you such an idiot—you're supposed to be the genius on this team!" she shouted in frustration.

She found the path coming up to a hill. When she reached the top, the path stopped—sort of. Sakura couldn't describe what it looked like, but she knew that Sasuke had started rolling down the hill. '_Either you lost your footing, lost you energy to stand, or you thoroughly enjoy your somersaults.' _She thought dimly. Then she noticed something else.

She was standing over a cemetery.

Not just a cemetery, she realized. _The_ cemetery. The one that was made especially for the Uchiha clan. Sakura had never been here before—she had never found a reason to come, and figured that if she did, it would somehow set Sasuke off his block. She never realized that there were so many—then again, plenty were here before the massacre, as well.

As she looked out over the large area, she spotted a small dot all the way in the back. She squinted her eyes into slits, tying to get a better look at what it was—or who. When she finally did realize it, she mentally smacked herself in the head for not already knowing that it was Sasuke.

Sakura rushed down the hill at fast as she could without falling and rolling herself. She ran past the ajar gates. Keeping her eyes fixated on the figure at the back, Sakura dodged between the headstones and monuments. As Sakura got closer, she was able to get a better look at him. He was slightly curled, and there was a layer as thin as skin of snow on him.

He was completely still.

Sakura started to panic. He had been out here for far too long. Sakura knew the body and its actions well enough to know that Sasuke's life was in danger. If it was shivering, the body was doing what it could to create heat to survive the cold. But once it stopped shivering, the body was preserving whatever heat and energy it had left to stick it out as long as possible.

The final stages before death.

Sakura found herself taking the scarf from around her neck and her coat off of her person. She fell to her knees beside Sasuke, noticing how his skin was like a pale blue. Gabbing his wrist, also putting a couple fingers on the pulse point on his neck, feeling for some sign of life.

She sighed. He was still alive.

She wrapped her scarf around his neck, some of it going around the bottom half of his face. Sakura struggled as she put his arms through the armholes in her coat. If it had been a different situation, she would have laughed at the sight of him in her dark pink coat with the fur on the inside of the hood. Sakura dispersed the thought, buttoning it up all the way, relieved that it would.

Sakura lifted the immobile body on her back, tucking her hands under his knees. Sasuke's head rested on the junction between her neck and shoulder. Putting chakra into her feet, Sakura took off into the night.

It only took a little less than five minutes to get them back to her apartment, but Sakura wasn't going to waste any time. She quickly rushed to the hall closet and pulled out some throw blankets and draped them over him after removing her coat and scarf from him. She then got the fireplace going (AN: they aren't really apartments, more like townhouses) and propped him up on some pillows next to it.

* * *

Sakura went into the kitchen and started making hot cocoa. She found her mind racing with questions and running into problems with each question. '_Crap, what am I going to tell him?' _she wondered.  
_'It isn't going to be the same as telling Naruto. Sasuke doesn't _ever_ have an open opinion to anything—especially if it involves his revenge or Itachi.'_ Sakura sighed, gazing out of her kitchen window.

The snow was falling heavily outside—it was only coming down lightly when she found him. But now it was quick and looked like the beginning of a storm. She only hoped that her brother and his team wouldn't get caught in it.

"This is one suckish Christmas Eve," she mumbled while shaking her head.

* * *

**So, this is late. But after I've started school, I've had too much going on. I actually had to drop the Jazz Cats because I'm so busy (oh well.) Now that I'm in Yearbook, deadlines are actually important, and I'm behind already. EFF MY LIFE. **

**So, not much going on in this one. Next one will be better. I SWEAR. Updates won't be consistant yet, and I'm starting to work on **"Bloodshed"**, which is the next part to the Royal Blood Trilogy.**

**BYE YALL.**


	10. Confessed

"_I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it."  
-Garrison Keillor _

_'Where am I?'_

That was the first thought that entered Sasuke's mind.

It had started with the sound of burning wood—that strange and distinct crackling and popping sound. Then he felt that he was warm. Wasn't he cold before? He then realized that he was shaking—quite violently, actually. So much that it hurt. He opened his eyes and saw the fire in front of him, only about three feet away from him. He turned his head, noticing the pillows he was resting against and the blankets that were on top of him.

The place he was in seemed familiar, and also the smell of the place. It was like a diluted vanilla . . .

Sakura's apartment.

Why was he here? She told him to leave, didn't she?

Sasuke sat up suddenly, remember that Itachi was here. He winced when he felt how stiff his body was, and he was still shivering.

"Are you seriously up and awake already?" Sasuke turned his head towards the voice, though he already knew who it was. He was a little shocked though. He thought she would have gasped and rushed over to make sure he was really okay—but she seemed to get that by just looking at him. Frankly, he was grateful that she wasn't hanging all over him, like when they had just gotten out of the Academy. "How do you feel?"

"Hn." He noticed that she was leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. She was wearing a tank-top with flannel pajama pants. He almost smirked at the pattern on them—bunnies.

Sakura scowled slightly and went into the kitchen.

"Quit staring at my ass, Uchiha," she called without looking at him.

Sasuke's eyes widened. He didn't even mean to! That training was doing her some good . . . and how did she know? Must be women's intuition. **(AN: In the original plot, Sakura was able to read thoughts, but I took that ability out for storyline reasons. But I had to keep this scene in! It just made me crack up! XD)**

Thoughts and scenes started coming to Sasuke in a rush of images from what happened in the past twenty-four hours. Her brother . . . his brother . . . some weird stuff . . . her telling him to leave . . .

"Sakura."

Sakura came back into the room, though not in any hurry, or any look on her face. She seemed pretty calm. In her hands were two mugs of some hot drink.

"Cocoa?" she asked, offering him a mug. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"I don't like sweets," he said darkly, glaring at her. Sakura surprised him by matching his glare with one all her own, adding a hand on her hip.

"Well, you do for now. This will help get your insides heated—besides, you need something in you and this is all I can come up with at the moment. So take it before I shove it down your throat," she said, and he could tell that she was trying to hold back a growl. _'Why is she acting so weird?'_ he wondered.

Rolling his eyes, Sasuke took the drink and took a sip of it. It was a French vanilla flavor. He drank more out of it, loving the feeling of the steaming liquid traveling down his throat. "Did he do anything to you?" he asked suddenly, leaning against the couch behind him. Sakura sat down on the floor across from him. Cross-legged, she had her elbow on her knee and her chin in her palm.

"No, he didn't do anything. Sasuke, you can relax," she said, her voice a little softer. He gazed at her intently. "I'm telling the truth. I won't lie to you, Sasuke." The Uchiha accepted her answer.

"Why was Itachi here earlier?" he asked harshly.

"I can't tell you—" she froze at the death glare he was giving her. "He is friends with Riko, and has been almost as long as we've been alive."

"And you trust him because . . . ?" Sakura stared at him, deciding on what she should say to that.

"I can't tell you that," she said simply. Before he could retort, she explained. "Sasuke, there are things that I'm not allowed to tell you, okay?"

"But let me guess—Naruto already knows?" It sounded like an accusation. Sakura nodded. "Why?"

"It's . . . complicated. I want to tell you—know that. But I _can't_, Sasuke. Someday, I'll tell you. I promise," she said serenely. She could tell that he was still furious that he wasn't allowed to know about that part of the situation. His anger was painful for Sakura. "Sasuke, if I tell you, Itachi will kill me—and if not him, a couple other people will." Sasuke's eyes squinted as he stared at her, processing the information. What was it that was so bad that people would actually _kill_ her for saying anything to him? And why was Naruto allowed to know?

"What all happened tonight?" he asked, sounding tired.

"Sasuke, can you have an open mind tonight?" she asked. He eyed her warily. After a moment he nodded.

"You know that I died on the mission. You know that I was clinically dead for a surgery when I was younger. From the first time, I'd gained a connection with the dead. I could talk to them, see them . . . it was pretty bad." She paused to see his reaction to that. He seemed to believe her.

"What happened?"

"I was able to handle it for a while—a spirit here and there, nothing too horrifying. But then I had a seal placed on me to completely hold back that ability—I was seven years old," she said. She watched as he was about to ask why. But then they widened slightly at the importance of that age, what had happened at that time.

"The massacre."

"Yeah . . . it all got pretty overwhelming. I had people coming every other second asking what had happened, tell this person this, tell this person that—I had to beg my parents to find a way to stop it. So I had a seal placed on me so I could go on living like any normal kid. But I still had nightmares about it. When I see the dead, I normally see them as how they died."

"See? But you had a seal . . .?" he questioned.

"I was just getting to that. When I died on that mission, I connected with the dead again—but it was stronger this time. And the seal was broken. Not completely severed, but enough that a strong spirit can get my attention. And I think got another little 'gift'."

"Really."

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what . . . I just have a feeling that I won't like it."

After a few moments there was silence as Sasuke stared at her, her staring back. She started to get a little nervous, with him giving her that blank stare. But the second sound to come out of the moment was a hard slap across his face.

Because the first was him laughing.

* * *

**I know that Sasuke is super OC in that last part, but you have to remember, up until chapter 13, I wrote most of this almost three years ago, and I've only mostly tweaked it. This is because I know that it was a good idea and I wanted to only do changes to what was already created. However, throughout the story developement, the entire plot line has changed that what it was years ago. BUT DON'T WORRY. It's going to be awesome!**

**Some of you have been asking about the next installment in the RB Series. I lied before. I'm not updating for a while BECAUSE I'm trying to give my mind a break from the vampires. I love the paranormal and the concept of vampires, but I feel that if I stick with one thing for so long, the original creativity for it will no longer be there because I'll be tired of it. So in theory, to keep the series as good as I want it to be, I'm going to go through it bit by bit until I'm fully into it again. thanx.**

**Also, this story is going to start picking up the pace soonish. I'll post some kind of outline thing on my profile soon today :) .**


	11. A Truth

"_Unless you believe, you will not understand."  
-Saint Augustine_

* * *

"What was that for?" he asked, shocked, as he held a hand to his bruising cheek. Sakura glared at him. Old feelings and anxieties from her younger years of the teasing and bullying started to arise in her, taking over her better judgement.

"Why did you start laughing?" she shot back, her anger about ready to burst again. He was supposed to keep an open mind—he said he would.

_'Screw you, Itachi—I don't care if I get beat up for this. If he laughs again, I'll make him regret it!'_ she thought with a promise.

After another chuckle, Sasuke calmed down. The look he gave her basically said that he considered her a freak. He shook his head, sighing. "Seriously, Sakura, what is this all about? If this is the BS that you think might get me to feel sorry for you—"

"Get out."

Sasuke gazed at her. "What?"

"Get out. If you're going to be like that, get out of my apartment and go back home, Sasuke. I don't care if it's practically a blizzard outside, I want you gone," she whispered. There was a sense of hatred in her voice. When Sasuke didn't move, only gave her a look, she went on with her ranting. "Naruto didn't laugh. He actually believed me—that just shows how much of a jerk you are to just sit there and laugh. You could at least have the decency to just say, 'I do not believe you'."

"There's no such thing as ghosts, Sakura. And you can't see them. Go see Tsunade—make sure there's nothing wrong," he said, crossing his arms over his chest, his usual stoic look back. "You're crazy, Sakura."

"Your mother doesn't think so."

Sasuke froze. His face was clean of any emotion. His eyes went out of focus and stared into a distant memory.

This was the first time anyone had brought up his parents since the tragic event. Over the years he had done his best to not think much about his parents, or anything related to better times. He figured that thinking about his mother would bring up questions about what she would think about him now if she saw him now. He'd always thought that she would be disappointed somehow. Thinking about that would make him feel guilty for his way and purpose of living.

And that would hinder the completion of his goal to kill Itachi.

"What did you just say?" he asked quietly, his mood a deadly calm. Sakura started to rethink her next words. His mood had changed so suddenly, it was probably unhealthy for any person. He was just previously the conceited person he normally was, and then in less than an instant he was as quiet and still as a person attending a funeral for a close friend.

Like the peace before the storm.

"Your mother doesn't think I'm crazy," she told him, noticing the change in him.

The young konoichi could only hope that taking this dangerous direction would show him that she really was telling the truth. Sakura already knew that bringing up anything about Sasuke's family or past before the killing was a bad idea. It would be walking on a fine line. She had seen first-hand that when anything of the sort was mentioned, he would become so angry and so quickly.

She watched as his eyes went from a dark cold anger to something . . . different. Something she had never seen in his eyes before. At this point, Sakura knew she had to be careful—any wrong thing said would set Sasuke off again.

"My . . . my mother?"

"Sasuke, I already told you . . . I can speak to the dead. That seal I told you about? I had Riko remove it one day in the hospital after I woke up. I figured I might as well get used to seeing the deceased walking around," she said. Sasuke's face still remained the same, as if in some kind of trance.

"You . . . saw my mom?" Sakura sighed, nodding her head lightly. "Did you see my father?" Sakura looked away before answering.

"No, I haven't. I'm sorry," she whispered. Sasuke's head tilted down, suddenly looking very tired and very old, as if he'd been alive for decades and seen all of the horrors of the world and come to a form of acceptance.

And in a way, he already had.

"I . . . you can really see them?" he asked quietly, like he didn't already know. He wasn't looking at her when he said it. In a way, he was, but his eyes were so out of focus another person might have guessed that he was drunk, drugged, or possibly both.

"Sasuke, are you okay?"

Sakura couldn't help asking. The person that sat before her definitely wasn't the Sasuke Uchiha that she had grown up to know. Whenever she had seen him, he was always so collected—he never said anything spontaneously or without forethought. He had a plan for everything, and always acted with the sense that it was nothing. Nothing ever truly got to him.

But now . . .

When Sakura looked at him now, he almost seemed like a crack-addict without his crack. He wasn't paying full attention; his body was trembling slightly that you'd have to look closely to notice it. He kept swallowing and his breathing was off—a little faster and shorter.

"You're lying . . ." Sakura eyed him carefully. "And if you're not . . ."

A second later another slap was heard, but not out of anger. '_Gosh, he's going into hysterics.'_ Sakura knew hysteria when she saw it—she had been through it.

Sasuke's head remained in the turned position, facing away from her. Sakura waited as he stopped shaking and his breathing returned to normal. She quickly stood and headed for the kitchen, completely stumped.

'_Why is does it always turn into some kind of problem when I try talking to him?'_ she wondered sadly. She wanted him to know what was going on—it was easier than him not knowing at all. She figured that if things went the way they should, things would get better for all of them. In a way, their troubles would bring them closer together. She knew now that her wish was only a wish—nothing more. Why did things always turn out so—

"Tell me more."

Sakura turned sharply to see Sasuke standing in the doorway of her kitchen. She had been so immersed in her own thoughts, she didn't even hear him come out of the other room—no sound, not even his thoughts got to her. He seemed to look more like himself—just a little shocked. Just a little. Sakura looked at the clock above the stove—it was nearing eleven at night. Sasuke also noticed the time, seeming to understand what she was thinking, even though he wasn't the psychic one.

"I'll tell you more in the morning," she said. A nod was her reply. They were both exhausted—sleep was probably a good idea before anything else.

Sakura stopped Sasuke before he opened the front door. She handed him a brown coat.

"I don't—"

"Take it. You passed out earlier—I'm not hunting you down in the middle of the night to see if you got home okay," she said, teasing yet serious. Sasuke gave her a half-hearted glare before place the coat on his person. He stepped out into the night without another word.

Despite what all happened that night, Sakura had to smirk at his fading back.

_'Well, that's Sasuke for you._'

* * *

**So, this was the last complete chapter that was written when I started this over two years ago (though I have edited it since restarting). **

**I can't seem to just _write_ like I used to. Now I really have to think and plan ahead for things to be good or make sense. I think it's because I want there to be an actualy progressing with the characters and plot that my mind won't even consider what I would have written had this been two-three years ago. That or I'm losing my touch. (NO)**

**The next chapter will pretty much be a foil to this one. If you know anything from high school English classes, you'll know exactly what I mean...**


	12. Benny

"_The friends that stick with you through everything are the ones that will last the longest."  
-Unkown_

* * *

The next morning, Sakura woke up with an odd feeling. The covers weren't on her anymore—she was cold. It wasn't a peaceful and quiet morning—the neighbors were blasting their obnoxious Christmas music. She didn't eat last night—so she was hungry.

There was a weird tingly feeling on the back of her neck—there was a ghost in her room.

_'You've got to be kidding me . . .' _she mentally groaned.

Sakura opened her eyes to see a man standing at the foot of her bed, the covers indeed on the floor right next to him. Sakura was about to give him a lecture about privacy, but stopped.

"Benny?"

"About time you recognized me. Three seconds—that's the longest it's ever taken!" he said with a smirk. Sakura smiled, regardless of the rude awakening.

Benny was an old man in his mid sixties—but he had the personality and humor of a younger man in his twenties. He was tall with a lean figure, despite his age. He had light brown hair with streaks of gray. His face was actually smoother than that of most men his age—there were wrinkles at the corners of his eyes from constant smiling. He usually wore black pants and a T-shirt.

This morning, though, he was in a very obnoxious-looking Santa suit. Sakura snorted at the sight of him in it. He frowned. "What?"

"You don't make a very good Santa," she said with a laugh.

"Are you kidding?"

"He's supposed to be fat!"

"Excuse me? The man had to be skinny! Or else how would he get down the chimney of a hundred billion homes in one night? No fat guy I've ever come across would ever be able to do such a feat," he retorted. "And besides, you liked it when you were little," he reminded.

"I was six!"

Benny was the first ghost Sakura had ever encountered. He was also her favorite of all of them. He told her stories about his family and said jokes about other adults that she knew or didn't like very much, like that lady across the street from her old house that always put on too much make-up. Whenever a spirit came along that was harsh with Sakura, he would always be there to help her through it. In a way, he was like her own personal guardian angel. He was the only thing she missed when she had the seal placed on her at seven, and she had always regretted not saying goodbye to him first.

"So, kid, how've you been? Actually, I already know—I just want to see what you're going to say!"

"Benny, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked as she sat up.

"It's Christmas!"

"Benny, why haven't you moved on? You died before I was even born—don't you think it's been long enough?" she asked softly. Benny frowned at her.

"You don't want me 'round no more?" he asked.

"No! That's not it. I love having you around—it's so great to see you again, really it is. But . . . isn't it like, unhealthy or something, if a ghost doesn't go and be with the Big Guy?" she asked, pointing heaven-wards. Benny started laughing.

"Kid, I don't really want to leave. I'm sure that whatever is up there is great and amazing, but I _like_ being here. I ain't got no regrets or nothin', 'kay?"

Sakura thought about that for a moment. She nodded, smiling. She knew she couldn't make him do anything he didn't want to—he was like that. He was completely independent. She didn't necessarily agree with it, but that didn't mean she couldn't be happy that he was here.

"So, all this time . . . you stayed?" she asked quietly. The dead man grinned.

"Well, I kinda had a feeling that you would be able to speak to me again someday and . . . well, I couldn't stand the thought of leaving you alone in this strange world—just because you can't communicate with them, doesn't mean that a ghost can't harm you. And let me tell ya, there were a lot of people wanting to get their hands on you—hey, what's wrong?"

Sakura whipped the tears from her eyes, smiling. "You stayed! Benny, I love you completely!" she exclaimed, laughing.

"Yeah . . . well . . . gotta love you too, kid. You're something else," he said honestly. "And if I'm right, you have a guest coming over soon."

"What? Oh! Yeah, Sasuke was coming back over," she said while getting up. Walking over to her closet, she reached for a pair of pants and a gray hoody. But as she was about to grab for them, they suddenly flew up in the air and landed on the other side of the room. "What the . . .?" She tried reaching for something similar, but that was mysteriously tossed somewhere else, too.

Suddenly all of the conservative items in Sakura's wardrobe were in odd places in the room—under the bed, on the ceiling fan, in the toilet or the tub, and other places. '_Well, this is odd,'_ Sakura thought. She looked over at Benny. He was grinning like a madman.

"Sakura, a _boy_ is coming over, and you think you're going to dress like that?" he asked. "How do expect to get any dates with how you dress?"

"And you expect me to start with Sasuke?" she asked, shocked.

"Well, why not? You like him, don't you—?"

"BENNY!"

* * *

Sasuke knocked on the front door of Sakura's apartment with a yawn. For some reason he couldn't sleep last night. He found it hard when learning that Sakura had spoken with his deceased mother. That would keep anyone awake and wondering.

_'I'm not going to ask about it, though,'_ he thought defiantly. That would only cause him some more trouble that he didn't want to deal with at the moment.

Sasuke knocked again.

_"It's open—QUIT IT!"_

"What the hell?" he mumbled.

Turning the knob, Sasuke walked into the small abode. He stopped short at the sudden change in it, though. Cloths were scattered everywhere he looked, and in the most bizarre places, too. A table in the living room was turned over onto its side. "Sakura?" he called.

The girl in question came dashing out of the hallway that led to the bedrooms. She was panting heavily, slightly doubled over. "Hey; sorry about the mess—I'm having some trouble at the moment—"

Sakura was lurched forward suddenly and crashed into Sasuke, causing both of them to fall. But that wasn't the awkward part of the situation. Not only was she on top of him in such a suggestive way—not that he even noticed—but there was another trait about her that wasn't there when he walked in.

She was soaking to the bone.

Sasuke watched as she jumped up and leaped for a jacket next to the wall.

It moved.

Sasuke blinked. _'Um . . . what?'_

Suddenly Sakura screamed out, gripping her hands in her tangled hair. Her head whipped around and turned towards the hallway. Sasuke watched as her eyes fixed on something that he couldn't see. A ghost, maybe? He wasn't sure.

"That is it! I've had it with your sick game!" she shouted. Sakura's hands flew up and a strange yellow . . . something . . . flew from them. The next moment he heard a yelp come from the beginning of the hall.

The young Uchiha watched in shock as the air in a spot shifted and shimmered. A figure was formed—a man. Light started to bend slightly and Sasuke saw that the man was old and looked stricken and amazed.

"Girl, when did you learn how to do that?" he asked in wonder.

"I don't know! I don't even know what I did, but that doesn't matter! I swear if you don't get all of this stuff back where it was before you started this, you will regret it!" she seethed with promise. After a glare sent between the two, Sasuke watched as all of the cloths rose from wherever they lay and floated quickly flew into what Sasuke figured was the bedroom. The image of the old man crossed his arms and grumbled something incoherent. "What?" Sakura asked, daring him to defy her.

"Ah, nothing," he said. Sasuke noticed that he had an accent of someone that would have spent their life in one of the poorer countries.

"Sakura, what . . .?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill . . ."

* * *

**Okay, so reading over this, I've come to realize that my writing style years ago sucked. Like, seriously. But it all gets better after this!**

**Not much else except I'm writing a book. Well, me and two other girls. We co(co)writing it together! Meg had this idea in her head for a while, and then Rae added to it, and now I've added my thoughts and now we're just putting everything together. Two days ago meg and I stayed up way past midnight coming up with this huge plot line for it. It's going to be a triligy! So, when that starts coming around, I'll give more info on it.**

**I'm GETTING A BLOG. I give info on that on my profile.**

**tootles!**


	13. Call it what you will

"_Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."  
-Jane Howard_

* * *

After being handed a towel, Sasuke walked into the kitchen while Sakura walked to her bedroom to change out of her wet clothes for something more comfortable. Sitting down at the small table, he noticed the man looking at him.

" . . . Hi?"

The man grinned. "So you can see me?" he said. Then a questioning look came into his eyes. "Are you necromantic, too?" he asked.

"What are you—" Sasuke eyes bulged out then, just realizing it. "You're a . . .?"

Suddenly, a scream was heard from the bedroom. Sakura came around the corner to glare at Benny with so much shock and anger that even Sasuke was slightly shocked. "Benny! That is the last straw! If I get sick, it will be your entire fault!" she shouted, shaking with rage. This Benny character simply looked slightly confused and pleading.

"But it looks good on you . . ." he whined. Sasuke decided that this dead man seemed to have the mentality and maturity of a small child.

"Benny. I am cold, tired, hungry, and getting _very_ irritated right now. So _please_, just give me my cloths back," she pleaded. The old man disappeared from what Sasuke could see and the energy in the air was gone as well. Sakura sighed and walked over to the counter where a pair of sweatpants and a white hoodie had been placed just moments before. She looked at Sasuke a moment with the articles of clothing in her hands. "I'll be right back."

The talk was long—very long. It was mostly Sakura speaking, though Sasuke added a comment or two every now and then. Sakura new that this morning would be unpleasant. Sasuke was never one to accept new truths and concepts well. He always stuck to one belief, one way of thinking. He was always right, and everyone else who thought differently was always wrong. Which was why Sakura was afraid of what he would treat her like. He had said that night before that she was crazy for seeing ghosts.

_'The only thing that makes me crazy is actually believing he'll accept all of this,_' she had thought bitterly.

But surprisingly, he was taking it all calmly. Which worried her. She answered the few questions that he asked—how long has she been able to talk to the dead, what it was like, why she didn't tell them before about all of this—with the most sincerity she could without making it a too personal conversation—she knew how he hated that. She told him it was slightly difficult, but not so much that she couldn't handle it. She explained that she never bothered to tell them because she hasn't had the ability since she was seven; the thought had never occurred to her that she would be able to again. She never thought it necessary to tell them. Simple as that.

For a few minutes it was quiet, the music from outside being the filler noise in the kitchen as Sakura waited for her teammate to collect his thoughts on the situation. There was a faint line between his eyes, a concentrated look in his eyes. He seemed to be contemplating something.

Sakura looked over at the clock on her microwave, seeing it was almost noon. "Naruto should be over soon," she said absently while getting up to put her empty cup in the sink. "I told him to come over this morning so we could all have Christmas together as a team—even though Kakashi is still on his mission," she explained, seeing his questioning gaze. It falls silent once more, but only for a moment.

"Sakura."

"Yes?"

" . . . I have one more question," he said. Sakura sat back down and waited patiently; he seemed to be struggling to get the question out. "Just now—earlier—I was able to see that old man . . ." he said slowly.

" . . . yeah . . .?"

He stared hard at something on the wall that she couldn't see herself. "Is it possible to do that again? But with a specific person?" he asked quietly. Sakura eyes widened before she sighed quietly. She knew what he was asking, but it was something that she couldn't give him. Even if she wanted to; and she desperately did, just to ease his pain and suffering that he had suffered.

"Sasuke, I can't summon you mom. I don't know what happened exactly for you to see Benny, but it won't happen again—simply because I don't think it _can._ I think it was a fluke. And even if I could do it . . . I wouldn't." Sasuke's head shot up and stared at her, shock showing briefly on his face. "Not only has she moved on, but it isn't healthy to see someone after they've died. Trust me on this, Sasuke."

Sasuke let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. He should have known it would never happen. He'd had the thought in the back of his mind that she wouldn't be able to. But he never imagined that she would refuse him something like this. Without even realizing it, Sasuke became angry at Sakura—how would she know what is or isn't good for anyone? It's not like she's ever—

_'But she probably has . . .' _he thought suddenly.

He vaguely remembered her saying that her mother had passed away not too long ago. If Sakura was able to see the dead again, then she might have seen her own dead mother. She knows the feeling of loss, what it means to grieve; the longing to have someone back once you've lost them. Sakura understood that—she understood something that Sasuke felt like he'd known almost his whole life.

There was a sudden and persistent knocking on Sakura's front door that shook Sasuke from his thoughts. "It's open," Sakura called from where she was sitting. A few seconds later, Naruto ran into the kitchen, a goofy grin on his face.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"

* * *

A few hours later the three were all sitting in Sakura's living room watching one of the cheesy Christmas movies that were on every channel. Sasuke took the loveseat, Sakura the couch, and Naruto was sprawled out on the floor with all of the pillows. A bowl of popcorn and some drinks were on set on the coffee table between all of them. They were barely halfway through the movie when there was a knocking at the door. Sakura stood and went to answer it, only to have the unknown visitor come through before she could even reach it. By the cloak he was wearing, Sakura knew who it was.

"Oh. It's you." She stalked back to the couch and flopped down onto it rather ungracefully. By this time, commercials were on, and both Naruto and Sasuke were giving Riko cold stares. For obvious reason, they didn't like him much.

Riko completely ignored the stares he was receiving from the two boys and went to sit on the couch by Sakura. She didn't flinch away, but rather tensed up, not looking at him. He knew that it would be like this. Riko honestly couldn't blame Sakura for being so cold to him—he had hurt and betrayed her, no matter how just his actions and reason were to him back then. He sighed and placed a hand on his baby sister's shoulder.

"Sakura, look at me, please?" Reluctantly, Sakura lifted her gaze to his. She was surprised to find a small smile on his face. "I just wanted to say goodbye before our team heads out," he said quietly. He took her hand in his and gave it a tight squeeze while talking out a small brown box from inside his cloak. He handed it to her. "Merry Christmas."

Sakura took the gift slowly and lifted the lid off, peering inside. Gasping softly, Sakura pulled out the necklace. She _knew_ this necklace. She immediately recognized the small pendant on the silver chain. "This is . . ."

"Yeah. I found it at the old house. Mom would have wanted you to have it," he said softly. He watched as Sakura placed the chain around her neck, gently fingering the black pendant that was shaped like a heart. "I know how much you liked it when we were younger." He watched as Sakura wiped at her eyes, trying not to cry in front of him. "Sakura. If you ever need anything, anything _at all_, come to me, okay?"

"How can I still trust you, Riko? You left . . ." she whispered.

"I know. And I'm sorry that I abandoned you. But let me try to make up for it." He stood, glancing out the window at the falling snow. "You know how to find me it you need to. I'll always be here for you, no matter what you think of me, Sakura," he said as he walked towards the door, preparing to leave. One last time, he looked back at her and smiled before opening the door and disappearing again.

* * *

Later that night, after her teammates had gone home, and she had called Ino and wished her happy holidays, Sakura lie awake in her bed. She fingered the necklace, gazing at it as the black stone shimmered in the moonlight that streamed through her bedroom window.

"_Sakura. If you ever need anything, anything at all, come to me, okay?"_

Sakura sighed, closing her eyes. Riko had sounded sincere, like he truly meant it. But despite the fact that it's been five years, she still wasn't willing to forget about how he had hurt her. Somewhere inside her, Sakura deeply wished that she could trust the only blood family she had left; but there are just some things that a person can't bounce back from right away.

Besides. She has her teammates now—to her, they are just as much family as her original family was.

For now, her friends were all she really needed.

* * *

**Yeah, not much going on in this chapter. The main point was the have Sasuke believe in Sakura's ability; it's crucial to the rest of the story (duh).**

**So, for this story, I'm putting together a playlist. When the story is complete, you'll be able to download the list itself, the songs, and some bonus pictures of things throughout the story. Free download. No viruses. If you'd be interested, just say so in a comment or tell me what you think about it. The playlist is bassically a bunch of songs that's inspired me-each song will have with it the point of the story it goes with and why.**

**TOODALOO!**


	14. A Journey Begins

"_If you don't risk anything you risk even more."  
-Erica Jong_

* * *

"_Lily, watch your step, there's a bit of a drop here," called Keiko. Lily carefully gazed at the ground ahead of her, keeping a close eye at when the ground would start to go down, not wanting to trip._

_This was a bad idea from the start, and she knew it. There probably wasn't even a treasure down here to begin with. It was all just some made up stories that were told by old people to get their grandchildren to go to sleep. Just a bunch of bogus._

"_Lily, are you still there? There's an overhang just up here—so watch your head."_

"_I wouldn't have to watch anything if you hadn't have brought me down here!" she called out. She sighed, not willing to go through another battle with the woman ahead of her. "Let's look at the map—I want to see where are," she suggested._

"_I know where we are—we should be under the Hokage Faces by now. The Third's, if I'm correct. Now come on! We can't be late; the dinner is at seven, so we have about six-some hours left. There's another drop up here—even bigger than before." Keiko kept moving forward, ignoring the deadly silence that came with being underground. She found it strange that they couldn't hear anything from the village. "Lily, do we have anymore of the flavored water left?" she asked quietly. She waited a moment to hear an answering reply, but there was nothing. She stopped moving, listening. The only thing she could hear was her own breathing._

_Lily was gone._

_Panicking, Keiko began to quickly back trace her steps, calling out for her friend. "Lily! This isn't funny!" she hollered. _

_She sped up, completely forgetting about the sudden drop that they had passed earlier. _

* * *

"Old man! Can I have another round?"

"Naruto, you've had enough! And we aren't paying for you this time; you're on your own."

"Aww, but Sakura—"

"No 'buts'!"

The expression on Naruto's face was almost laughable, though Sakura firmly held her ground. There was no way that she was going to pay for his lunch again. And by the look on Sasuke and Kakashi's faces, they weren't going to give in, either.

It was finally April, a few weeks after Sakura had turned fourteen. The village had finally rebuilt itself after the attack from Orochimaru and everyone seemed to be doing well. Mission assignments were coming in quickly again, giving shinobi of all rankings enough work to do. With all of the D and C-rank missions Team 7 had been assigned, Sakura had managed to come up with enough money to pay off the hospital bills. Also, after selling most of the items in her parents' old house, with the house itself, she had enough money to last a while. Most of it went to savings for the next time missions were coming in slowly.

The three had decided not to tell Kakashi her secret—it wasn't that they didn't trust him, but Sakura figured that the less people that knew, the better. And easier, for that matter. Already she had become re-accustomed to seeing ghosts everywhere. She had her tricks for telling if someone was dead or alive so she wouldn't slip up in public and make a fool of herself.

And luckily for her, her teammates had not once treated her differently. There had been a couple times where a ghost would suddenly appear when they were training, and when she would later tell them about it, they didn't act strange about it. Which was a lot she could say for Sasuke. Naruto was constantly curious about it, though. He was always asking questions; who it was, what they wanted, and so forth.

And now, as she stared at the two boys bickering about who was better (why couldn't they just accept that they were equals?) she was glad that they were the ones to become her teammates.

Not too long later (after they had convinced Naruto that he had enough to eat) the tree Gennin were strolling over to the training fields. "So what should we work on today even though Kakashi-sensei isn't here?" Naruto asked, becoming excited over the prospect of more training. Sakura thought about that while Sasuke merely shrugged.

"I think we should focus on familiarizing ourselves with each other's strengths and techniques. That way on a mission, it could be like we would barely have to communicate during a battle and just _know_ what the other person will do."

"That's a great idea, Sakura! We should get started right away and . . ."

Sakura's mind wandered from the conversation as she heard a panicked shouting and pleading coming from up ahead. Her teammates didn't seem to notice, though.

A ghost.

Sasuke and Naruto noticed her attention on something else and the look on her face—they knew immediately that she could sense something. They both remained quiet so she could concentrate more on what it was.

Sakura looked around for anyone who looked like whoever was making all of the noise. A moment later she saw her target. It was a woman who looked to be in her early twenties, if not a little older. In Sakura's opinion, she hardly looked like she had died—it was probably peaceful, if not for the pale skin and dirt smeared across her face. She had muddy-brown hair that was in tangles and had a thin figure.

She was trying frantically to get someone—anyone's attention, though no one noticed her at all. Sakura watched as the woman began to become even more frustrated than she already appeared to be. _'Does she even know that she's dead?'_ Sakura wondered. It wasn't impossible, but it wasn't exactly common, either. Sometimes a person's death could happen so quickly and unexpectantly that they never even realized that they had died. Sakura had seen it a few times before.

The woman cried out desperately, not noticing Sakura discreetly staring at her. _'If you would just turn around and look over here!'_ she thought, slightly annoyed.

Then, slowly, the ghost's form became ramrod straight. As if in a trance, she turned her body slowly and faced Sakura, her face calm and nearly blank. Sakura blinked. _'That's strange . . . she's suddenly so quiet.'_ When the ghost finally noticed her, her face turned into one of pure relief.

"You can see me!" she exclaimed, point at Sakura. Giving her a small nod, she turned back to her teammates, who were giving her curios looks.

"Let's go to the Training Grounds," she said, hoping the woman heard her. As they started walking off, Sakura was satisfied when she felt the ghost following her.

By the time they had arrived at the grounds, Sakura had already heard almost half of the woman's story. Yes, she knew that she was dead, but had blindly hoped that someone might be able to hear her.

"So what's going on?" Naruto asked.

"She says that she and her friend had found an old map that belonged to the one girl's great-great-grandfather. They had somehow linked it to an old legend about there being some kind of hidden treasure buried deep underground beneath the Hokage Faces. They had gone down looking for the treasure, and she says that she and her friend had gotten separated."

The woman nodded vigorously. "Yes, and now somehow, the entrance we went in through has collapsed, and the map showed no other way out. My friend is stuck down there and she probably doesn't even know it! Please, you have to get her out of there before she runs out of oxygen!" Sakura relayed this new information to Naruto and Sasuke. Both boys looked stricken.

"She's stuck down there? How do we get her out?" Sasuke asked aloud.

"We have to go tell someone!" Naruto exclaimed. "We need a lot of other people to help us! We have to—"

"Naruto, if we tell anyone, they're going to wonder how we know, where got the information from, how we know it's correct. We can't tell them I heard it from a ghost; they wouldn't believe us and then we may never get the other woman out of there," Sakura explained.

"Well then." Sasuke stood up. "We'll have to just get her out ourselves."

"What? We can't go by ourselves!" Naruto shouted. "What if we get caught or—"

"Naruto, if two civilians managed to get in without anyone noticing, then we will be fine," Sakura reminded. "Besides, we can't just let her die in there. We have to go." Sakura turned back to the ghost, who by this time looked grateful. "Where was the entrance you two had entered through?"

"I'm not sure . . . I can't seem to remember—"

Without any warning, she disappeared with a 'pop'. Sakura stood and looked around for any sign of her. "What is it?" Sasuke asked, seeing her shocked expression.

"She's gone. She just disappeared!" she said, confused.

"Did she say where the opening was?"

"No. She couldn't remember. We're going to have to find it on our own," she sighed, frustrated. Without another word, she motioned for her teammates to follow her as she started heading towards the back of the village where the Hokage Faces were.

* * *

**Time for the big adventure! And now is when the entire plot starts to unfold! So, I'm looking at a roughly written outline for this story, and it's looking to be HUGE. Probably at least 50 chapters! Is that too big? I need feedback!**

**PLEASE REVIEW OR ZOMBIES WITH CLIMB IN YOUR WINDOW AND SNATCH UP YO KIDS AND YO WIFE!**

**and husbands, cuz they like them too!**

**:)**


	15. The Secret Underneath

"_Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don't give up."  
-Anne Lamott_

* * *

To save time, the team traveled by jumping rooftops as a way to avoid the crowded streets of midday. While heading over to the mountain side, Sakura continued to look for the woman again, trying to contact her. When she was younger, ghosts had always been trying to get her to help them because she was the only person that could see and hear them. But back then, she had been too young, and her parents had demanded that she never listen to the spirits and never do what they asked. They said that if she did, more ghosts would come to her, thinking that she would help all of them.

Back then, Sakura had listened, because she should thought that listening to her parents was the only thing she could do. Because back then, she truly believed that they knew best. But now she was older, and she _could_ do something. And they weren't here to tell her what to do. Now she realized that sometimes, listening to the ghosts that came to her was better than ignoring them. Why avoid the problem when you can learn how to deal with it?

Besides, this was dealing with the life of someone who was still alive. Not only as a Shinobi's duty, but as a duty to herself, she would do her best to save someone.

As they neared the mountain with the intricate carvings, she started formulating plans in her head. "Try looking for a place where there appears to be new or upturned soil or something," she told them.

They arrived at one end of the mountain side and started running alongside it, looking for a place that might appear to have been collapsed rock. As they ran, Sakura started to become panicky. They were already more than halfway to the other end, and they still hadn't seen anything.

"Maybe the opening was along the bottom," Naruto suggested. "With how big this mountain is, it could have been anywhere."

"He's right," Sasuke said. "The passageway into the safe houses on the mountain side on the other side of the village was in the middle of the mountain itself," he informed. "Let's try the top of the mountain."

Luckily they ended up right next to the steps that led to the lookout point on top of the faces. As they raced up, Sakura became worried. She wasn't sure how long someone could go without oxygen, and she definitely wasn't sure on how long the other woman had been under ground for, or when the entrance to whatever tunnel they went through had collapsed. There were too many 'if's and 'when's and way too many variables in the situation for Sakura to be sure of anything.

"We're almost halfway up the—WOAH!"

Sasuke caught the blonde's wrist before he fell through the hole that was in the stairs in front of him. The three Gennin looked down. Down inside the hole was darkness that was pitch-black. But what looked to be about fifty feet below them was a set of stone stairs that steeply descended into the mountain.

"I think we found our entrance," the Uchiha mumbled. Without wasting time, they each jumped down and landed nimbly on the stairs inside.

Once they were down inside the hidden tunnel, the three teens then realized how dark it really was. Even with the light streaming in from above, they couldn't see much more than five feet ahead of them. And that was when the still had light around them.

"This is probably the brightest it's going to get," Naruto stated. "How are we going to see when we get further in?"

His question was answered by Sakura pulling out a small flashlight from her weapons holster. "Luckily I always carry one with me."

The stairs descending into the ground were steep and at times slippery. They reminded Sakura of a time when she was a little girl. Her parents had taken her and Riko on a family vacation; they had visited the caverns that were under the Rain Village. This situation didn't have stalactites or stalagmites, but it was definitely becoming very cold and was already very damp. There were a few sections where the stone steps had eroded; the three had to go slower while keeping a hand on the wall for support.

"How much further down do you think it is?" Sakura asked to neither in particular. She never received an answer, however, when the ground abruptly leveled out, indicating that they were at the bottom.

Once they were away from the stairs the team picked up the pace while Sakura tried to contact the ghost again. "I don't know where she is. I'm having trouble summoning her considering I didn't even get a name," she said from the middle of the line; she had handed the flashlight to Naruto, who was still in front. The tunnel was too narrow for them to run side-by-side. However, as they continued along, the path widened and started to slope down again, though not as steep as the steps from earlier. To prevent them from running into anything, Sasuke lit a fireball in his hand so they could see further than what the small flashlight provided. Before their very eyes, the tunnel opened up into something that wasn't another tunnel at all.

It was a _city_.

There were buildings everywhere in perfect shape, paths carved and paved that resembled roads. Large pillars of stone held up the high ceiling. The buildings themselves were not only made of natural rock, but also wood and cement—_real houses_. Off in the distance there was a bridge—much resembling the bridge Team 7 would meet up at—that went over a ditch, which appeared to have once been a small stream.

The place was magnificent, but also terrifying. Just looking at everything, Sakura felt cold. Not a frigid-air cold, but a deep, bone-chilling freeze that made her feel sick. She so badly wanted to leave and just go back the way they came; she had a bad feeling about all of this suddenly.

"Come on—we have to figure out which way they could have gone!" she urged, wanting to keep moving. And not dwell on the strange feeling in her gut.

"Look—there are footsteps in the dirt!" Naruto discovered.

They quickly followed the fresh prints. They led through what appeared to be the main roads of the "city" and over to the other side. "This place has to be at least half the size of the village," Sasuke wondered.

Following the footsteps, they were once again led to more narrow, low-ceilinged tunnels. By this point the fireball was extinguished, the flashlight once again being the only source of light. Further down the passageway, the path forked out into two separate directions.

There were footsteps going both ways.

"This must be where the two women got separated," Sakura realized. "But which way to go? One leads to the dead body of the ghost I saw, the other leads to who we're trying to save."

"Let's just hope we find the living one first," Naruto said, becoming determined. Without another word, he dashed off to the tunnel on the right side. Sakura and Sasuke took off after him.

"Naruto, be careful! We're not sure what all is done here!"

"I can see just fine! Just so you know, there's a bit of a drop up ahead—just jump over it!" he shouted from up ahead.

"What?"

Without warning, Sakura felt the ground beneath her suddenly disappear. With a startled yelp she suddenly started to fall forward until Sasuke managed to catch her by the waist just in time. She now hung upside down, and could sense the ground right next to her face. And what was that smell? Reaching out with her hand, Sakura felt around in front of her. She bit down a scream.

"Sasuke! Pull me up NOW!" her voice quivered.

"Sakura what is it—"

"_JUST DO IT!"_

Sakura felt herself being lurched backwards; her butt hit the ground with a _thud!_ as she scooted back away from the drop she had missed. "Moron! Get back here!" Sasuke shouted from beside her. They heard footsteps and saw the light coming back.

"What is it?" he asked. Seeing Sakura's expression, he pointed the light to where she was looking at. He and Sasuke gasped, the light fumbling in the blonde's hands.

Down in the drop was a woman's body.

* * *

**Cliffy! So who do you think they found? I'm getting really into this story! I don't know why but I have a serious obsession with the paranormal.**

**I'm trying to get Bloodshed written. I really am. But I'm sort of stuck on it. I know where I want it to go, but somehow the plot just sorta...idk. But I'm working on it.**

**R&R**


	16. Finding the Lost

"_The fear of death is more to be dreaded than death itself."  
-Publilius Syrus_

* * *

"O-oh my god—i-is that . . .?" Naruto wasn't able to finish his question.

The body lay in the hole on its side, the face going into the ground. The arms were spread out, one of them bent at an unnatural angle. The legs were bent straight. By the long brown hair, they could tell it was a woman.

"Is she dead?" he asked.

"It isn't obvious?" Sasuke snapped. He was still shaken; they had just found a dead body—who wouldn't be? He looked over at Sakura to see her just as shaken as he and Naruto. She had gone a sickly pale and her hair hung around her face in tangles. She was breathing heavily, a hand placed over her heart.

"I . . . I've seen plenty of ghosts before—in many different ways," she whispered, seemingly to herself. "I've seen gruesome things—enough that one dead body shouldn't get to me like this. But I've _never_ seen the dead body of a ghost before," she rasped.

And she hoped that she never had to again—it just connected everything to the fact that someone was actually _dead_.

Her thoughts were cut off by a quiet, almost inaudible moan. The three of them stopped and looked down at the "dead" body. Acting quickly, Sakura jumped down and knelt next to the woman, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss? Can you hear me, are you alright?" she asked quickly. The only reply she received was a pained gasp. Her body shuddered before going limp again.

"My arm . . ." came a whisper. Sakura looked over the woman for any other injuries. She noticed that the woman looked to be in her mid twenties or so.

"Is there anything else that hurts that we should be aware of?" she asked.

"My head—I think . . . I hit it pretty hard . . ." she rasped.

Sakura nodded and crawled over to the other side so that she was behind her. "Okay," she began, "I'm going to slowly lift you up by the shoulders; keep your arm close to your body—we'll help you. Do you think you can do that?" she asked calmly. After an answering nod of the head, Sakura placed her hands on the backs of the woman's shoulder blades and slowly began to maneuver her into a sitting position. Sakura winced as she gasped in pain, using one arm to clutch the injured one to her stomach. "Okay, now we need to somehow put it in a sling or something." She looked at the boys, hoping they had any ideas. After a moment Naruto stripped off his jacket and tied it into a makeshift sling and handed it to Sakura. While Sakura was putting the sling on around her shoulders and carefully adjusting her arm into it, she started asking questions.

"So what's your name?" Sakura asked.

"Keiko. And you guys?"

"I'm Sakura—the one whose jacket you're using is Naruto, and the other is Sasuke," she answered. "Can you tell me what happened? How you got hurt?"

"My friend and I came down here by ourselves. I had heard of this legend from my great-great-granddaddy. Something about hidden treasure down here. So we found the map and came down." She was quiet for a moment. "Lily didn't want to go—not as badly as I did. She suggested that we hire shinobi to go with us. I shot down the idea because I thought that they would steal the treasure and just run off with it—or completely tell us we were fools for believing in such things." She looked at the three ninja. "Sorry, but I've never been too trusting of ninja—they've always seemed to be a bunch of liars and traitors," she confessed.

"I know what you mean," Sakura mumbled.

"Well, we were coming down here. I had the flashlight since I had the map. I was ahead of her and . . ." she struggled to remember. "I know that after a while I stopped hearing her—she usually walks like a horse, so it's not like she can be quiet. And she talks all the time. I stopped hearing her; I had called back to see if she was still there. I panicked and started running back. Though I forgot about the drop here and fell, I think." She looked up again, her arm now in the temporary sling. "How'd you all know I was down here? We didn't tell anyone where we were! Is it really so late that our families sent out search teams for us?" she asked, sounding incredulous.

Sakura looked at her boys for a moment, then back at Keiko. "Look. You told me that you've always believed that shinobi were liars. So what kind of person would I be if I lied to you now?" Sakura took a deep breath. _'I can't believe I'm about to do this. . .'_ "What I'm about to tell you, you cannot tell _anyone;_ my own life depends on it—trust me," she demanded, looking straight into the older woman's eyes. "Ever since I was a little girl, I've been able to talk ghosts. Don't ask me how, it's a long story. But I can. A woman came to me today begging for help. She said that her friend was stuck down in some secret tunnels beneath the Hokage Faces and didn't even know it—the stairs in the entrance had collapsed."

Sakura watched as the Keiko started to comprehend what she was saying. Once she dead, shock and horror were painted on her features. "Are you telling me that Lily is dead?" she whispered. Sakura looked away for a moment.

"I'm sorry . . . she had wanted us to save you. I know this is hard to understand, but—"

"No. No, I believe you. My grandmother was able to talk to the dead, as well," she mumbled. "Is Lily here?"

"No . . . she disappeared a while ago—before we even got to the mountain side, actually," Sakura confessed.

It was quiet for a few minutes in the small space. "Her parents will want an open casket funeral," Keiko murmured. "So . . . maybe we should . . . you know . . ." She looked away, her eyes tearing up momentarily. Sakura nodded and helped her up and out of the dip.

The group slowly made their way out of the tunnel (this time with Naruto staying at their pace). When they returned to the part of the path that had split, Keiko agreed that it was there were she and her friend had probably split up and became separated at. They followed the footsteps the led into the other tunnel. It was flatter and a bit wider than the one that Keiko had gone through. As they continued on through it, there was a faint sound up ahead. It sounded like some kind of shuffling, but a bit more . . . _blurred_. As the sound became louder the closer they came to it, it also became much more distinct. Once the group finally saw what the sound was coming from, their suspicions were correct.

It was an underground waterfall.

Keiko gasped and shook. "No . . . no, this can't be how . . ." she couldn't finish.

Sakura knew what she was talking about. But as she looked out over the water with the flashlight, she couldn't seem to find a body anywhere. From where they were, she judged that the fall would have been about a hundred foot drop, if not a little less. It would have been nothing for a ninja to bounce back from. But for a civilian who was taken by total surprise, she doubted anyone could have survived.

From where she stood and the amount of light, the water didn't look to be too deep. That still didn't take out the possibility of drowning. "I don't see where she would have fallen," she whispered to herself. As she moved the light closer to the edge below them, it seemed closer than the water itself. As she looked closer, she concluded that there was a ledge about a little more than halfway down.

And that's where she saw the body.

She pointed the light at Lily's corpse, a sick feeling coming to her again. '_Great. We found her. Now we have to go down there and get her,_' she thought, feeling dreadful. She didn't want Keiko to have to walk back with them when her friend's dead body was near her. Sakura didn't have the heart to do that.

As she knelt down to get ready to jump, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Sasuke kneeling next to her; Naruto was a few feet back with Keiko.

"I'll get her; I'll follow a little bit behind you guys," he ordered. Before she could question him, he gave her a look—one of understanding. Sakura sighed before giving him a grateful smile.

"Thank you."

* * *

**Were you surpised? I bet you were! Well, we are on our second snow day here in Ohio, so I've had time to do more with both stories. Btw, I've gotten back into Bloodshed (slowly, but still).**

**Let me know what you all think of this! I really need some feedback!**

**R&R**


	17. The Things that Matter

"_Friendship makes prosperity more shinning and lessens adversity by dividing and sharing it."  
-Cicero _

* * *

The trek back the way they came proved to them all just how far in they really were. After making sure that Sasuke was still behind them—he was—she walked further ahead to where Naruto was keeping Keiko occupied.

"Hey," Sakura greeted with a frown. Keiko nodded, a forced smile on her lips.

"So . . . how did she, uh . . .?"

Sakura sighed heavily. This was going to be one of the hardest parts. "She fell off the edge. She didn't fall into the water because there was this ledge right under her. But I asked Sasuke, and he said that she had probably fallen on her head; her neck was cracked as well," Sakura told her. It felt weird, telling someone how a loved one died. She had never had to do so before, and she didn't like the feeling of it.

When she noticed that Keiko had started crying a little, she felt terrible—as if Lily's death was _her_ fault. Though she knew that it wasn't, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that she was somehow responsible.

"For what it's worth, it was probably painless."

"What?"

Sakura looked at her from behind her pink hair. "If her neck cracked, than it was an instant death. Meaning that she probably didn't feel any pain. That's good, right?" she asked hesitantly. Keiko smiled softly.

"Yeah," she replied after a moment, wiping her tears. "I suppose it is."

They kept walking along, silence surrounding them. After a few minutes Sakura turned to the teammate next to her. "Naruto, why don't you go and see if Sasuke may need any help?" she suggested, going for casual.

"What? But you used to be all, '_Sasuke is sooo great! He's amazing!' _" he said, imitating her. "Why do you want me to—?"

"Naruto. _Go."_

The blond huffed and made his way to their other teammate, grumbling the whole time.

When Sakura was sure that Naruto was going to stay back there, and could faintly hear the boys' bickering, she turned to the woman next to her. "Are you going to be alright?" she asked hesitantly.

She shrugged. "I don't know . . ." Her voice trailed off. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura noticed that Keiko had started to cry again, though she was trying to hold it in. "It just hurts . . losing someone you love . . ." she sniffled.

"I know." Keiko looked over quickly, surprised. It was Sakura's turn to shrug. "My mom died not too long ago. So I kinda know the feeling," Sakura said. Keiko put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. I wouldn't know the feeling of losing a parent," she whispered.

Sakura shook her head. "It hasn't been that long, but I think I'm over it. I know that sounds bad, but my mom and I were never really that close, anyway."

Sasuke listened to the conversation going on ahead of them, trying to ignore Naruto's chattering. He never knew that Sakura and her mother weren't close. But then again, he didn't know much about her to begin with.

"This sucks so bad!" Naruto whined.

"You are not the one carrying a fucking _corpse_, dobe," Sasuke snarled, giving his rival a glare. Naruto grimaced, looking down at the body being dragged along by Sasuke.

"I wonder what it's like," he pondered out loud.

"What?" Sasuke asked, sounding tired.

"For Sakura, I mean. She sees dead people. I wonder what that has to be like for her," he explained. "I mean, I'm just glad it's not me, you know? I wouldn't want to have to see a person after they die. It's not normal."

"Nothing about this is _normal_, dobe." Naruto gave Sasuke a look before turning his gaze back to their teammate up ahead.

"But don't you ever wonder how she handles it?" he asked, a frown gracing his features. "I mean, it's _Sakura._ She's just so . . ."

"Over-emotional?" Sasuke added in monotone.

"I was going for sensitive." Naruto sighed. "I guess it's just weird."

As Sasuke thought more on it, he knew that Naruto was right. For as long as they had all been on a team together, he had always thought of Sakura as the only normal one, the member with no problems or hard struggles in life. He came to realize that he had always relied on her for that sense of normality on the team, to make everything seem that much less complicated. But now he was wrong. And maybe he was always wrong about her.

He had always seen her as the crying, weak little girl from back at the Academy. She somehow managed to get hurt just _standing there_ when they first became a team, and he and Naruto had always had to protect her from the very beginning. But looking at her now, she seemed different.

She seemed stronger.

She_ seemed_ stronger. Because Sasuke knew enough that Sakura was still sensitive. He knew enough that all of this—seeing ghosts—was one day going to take a toll on her, mentally and emotionally.

When the group passed through the underground city, Sakura's back stiffened. There was that strange feeling again. That gut-wrenching cold that seemed to snake its way throughout her body. She could feel a slight numbness starting at the back of her head.

"—_there she is—"_

"—_there're more of them—"_

"—_so the woman lived?—"_

"—_look at them—"_

"—_isn't that the girl who—"_

"Sakura."

Sakura jumped, turning to see Sasuke standing next to her. She noticed that Naruto stood a ways behind them with the . . . body . . . and Keiko was standing on her other side, giving her a curios look.

She turned back to Sasuke, who was gazing at her questioningly. If it hadn't been so dark in there, even with the flashlight, she would have seen the hidden concern in his eyes. "Why'd you stop?" he asked. Sakura looked back around at the "street" they were on. The voices weren't gone, but they were hushed to where she could barely hear them, and it all sounded like a mumbled hum in the frigid air.

"Nothing," she answered. "Let's just get out of here."

* * *

An hour later, the team found themselves at Keiko's parents' house. When they had walked up, the older couple took one look at their daughter and immediately started demanding questions. There were also many questions from Lily's parents. Keiko had explained what had happened, her voice breaking because of her sobs. Sakura could see that the initial shock had worn off; now the grief and pain was settling itself into her mind.

Sakura had told Naruto to wait a bit behind with Lily's body, so as not to hurt the family. But they had asked to see her. When they did, the broke down and held her, tears streaming down their aged faces. They had called the hospital and the body was taken away for an autopsy—the medical shinobi that arrived were suspicious of the three Gennin. Naruto had argued that they would never kill someone, Sasuke gave them a cold stare, and Sakura just told them to leave her alone.

Now they were seated in the family room. No one said anything; the sniffles of the young woman filled the room.

"So you saved out daughter," the father clarified, staring at the three young shinobi. They nodded, not saying anything. The elderly man gave them grateful looks, a small smile on his face. "Thank you. So much."

"But how did you know she was down there?" Keiko's mother asked. Naruto and Sasuke snuck glances at the teammate sitting between them. Sakura's mind raced, trying to think of a believable lie to tell them.

"Lily told her."

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at Keiko, shocked. She had demanded that the woman never say anything to anyone. And she called shinobi the traitors?

"She can talk to ghosts—just like grandma," she said quietly. Lily's parents—who had stayed—stared at Sakura with shocked faces.

"Is that true?" her mother whispered. "You saw her?" Sakura took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. She had been prepared for them to start yelling and accuse her of lying. At Sakura's confused expression, her husband explained.

"We've all known each other for years. Keiko's grandmother used to tell us stories about the ghosts she met. We don't doubt you." Sakura nodded, feeling a little better.

She took another breath, and began to tell her side of the story.

After she explained everything, and the family understood, and they had cried, Sakura noticed an added presence in the room. She looked over, seeing Lily for the first time since this whole thing started. This time, though, she looked different. Instead of being covered in dirt, she looked better. Her hair was in chestnut-brown ringlets while her dress was clean, no tears evident. Her alabaster skin looked smooth, a light blush gracing her cheeks. She looked at Sakura and smiled. Turning back to everyone, Sakura announced the new arrival. "Lily is here with us right now," she said softly. Keiko gasped, a hand going to her mouth. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath.

"Lily?" Keiko choked out. "Lily, I am so sorry! I never meant for this to happen! I sorry I didn't listen to you when you wanted to go back!" she cried. Lily smiled softly.

"Tell her it's okay. It isn't her fault," she said. Sakura relayed what she said.

"Oh, baby," her mother whispered. "We love you so much! Please never forget that!" After a moment, Sakura turned to them.

"She says that she loves you, too. And that she'll be okay," she said. Sakura turned back to Lily, who was smiling at her. Then she watched as her smile went away and her features froze, awe taking over her face.

"Is that . . . that _light_ . . . is that for me?" she whispered. Sakura nodded. Lily took a hesitant step forward until she was on the other side of the room, standing in front of the staircase. She looked back at Sakura. "Thank you." And then she turned forward and walked up and disappeared, her presence gone. Sakura turned back to the families, tears stinging her eyes.

"She's gone."

It was later in the evening when Team 7 was walking along a main road together, all of them getting ready to head to their separate houses. It was quiet besides the nightlife. "I wanted to thank you guys. For dealing with everything today. You didn't have to," Sakura said quietly. Naruto stopped and looked at her.

"What are you talking about, Sakura? Of course we did!"

"No, you didn't. I know we're a team and all, but I don't expect you guys to feel obligated or anything to go through these kinds of things with me—"

"That's not it!" Naruto exclaimed. "I helped because I wanted to—you can't do everything alone! You have to have your friends with you. I wanted to help you," he said sincerely, grinning at her. "Besides, it was—"

"Don't say 'cool'. Because it isn't cool."

"It was different." The other two looked at Sasuke as he kept his gaze forward. "How often do you get information from the dead that could save someone else's life?" he said, being rhetorical.

Sakura stared at the two before smiling herself, pulling the both of them into a big hug. "I've probably said this before, but you guys are the best. Seriously." She let them go, but continued to walk between them, an arm around each of their shoulders, laughing while Naruto joked they could be the Ghost-Busting Ninja Squad.

As they continued along, they each had one single thought.

Naruto thought this could be the family he never had.

For the first time, Sasuke didn't feel like the avenger, but just Sasuke.

And Sakura had the small, hopeful feeling in her heart that she could rely on these two, no matter what.

* * *

**So this has been sitting in my Document Manager for nearly 60 days. To give a brief explanation as to why I've basically been dead: life. I was involved in the school production of "Fiddler on the Roof" (which was fantastic, thanks for asking) and then there was this hugeass project and then shitdrama. Show's over, project is done, things are finally settling down (THANK YOU JESUS, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW). **

**Also, I'm very angry. Our district wanted to cut 6.5 billion dollars from the schools. Which would cut over 100 positions, honor and ap classes, college pre courses, writing and music classes, and more. Now they're having a levy on it to have it payed in tax dollars. Problem is, the last time we did a levy, it didn't pass. If it doesn't pass this time, each individual sport per student is around $600, and music students have to pay the teachers' supplement fee to perform which may be a couple hundred. I'm invloved in 3 music classes next year. I have no money. If the levy fails, I can't take prep courses for college (such as a music theory class, which would save me money later on). **

**People just don't understand how important our schools are nowadays. We're known for our education, and they don't seem to care about the needs of the students anymore.**

**I had to rant. Please R&R.**


	18. The Return

"_Seize the moment of excited curiosity on any subject to solve your doubts; for if you let it pass, the desire may never return, and you may remain in ignorance."  
-William Wirt_

* * *

"SAKURA! SAKURA, ARE YOU AWAKE?"

Sakura groaned and slipped out of bed. Yes, she was awake. Did she want to deal with her friends' insanity at the moment?

Hell no.

As she was about to open the door, she was shocked back by another round of obnoxious pounding coming from the other side. "SAKURA! WAKE UP ALREADY!" Sakura grabbed the doorknob and yanked it back.

Unfortunately, she had pulled it back a bit too fast, because Naruto didn't notice until too late that the door was open and Sakura was in front of him. Which started the series of unfortunate events.

Naruto thinks the door is still closed, so continues 'knocking'.

Naruto's fist comes in contact with Sakura's head.

Sakura becomes angry.

Sakura takes her anger out on Naruto's face.

Sasuke begins to get a migraine.

A minute later, Naruto was sitting at Sakura's kitchen table while she attempted to clean up Naruto's face. (Un)fortunately, she didn't damage it too much—just a few scratches and a nasty bruise on the outer corner of his left eye. Plus, she wasn't too concerned; he did tend to heal pretty quickly, so there shouldn't be anything there after a day or so. No one has said anything yet; Sakura figured she should be the one to start.

"So what brings you two over here at—" she looks at the clock, "—eight in the morning?" Naruto grinned that wild grin of his.

"We have a mission!" he exclaimed. Sasuke hit him over the head.

"You don't know that, dobe."

"Of course we do, bastard! It's the third Friday of the month! We _always_ get a new mission on the third Friday of the month!" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"He does have a point, Sasuke. I think Tsunade has a pattern," Sakura pondered out loud. "So we're going to the Hokage Tower?"

"Yup!" he said. "But not until later this afternoon—Granny Tsunade's at some meeting thing today."

"So then why are you here so early?" she asked. Both boys just shrugged. She sighed; now that they were here, she had a gut feeling that they wouldn't leave—there went her plans for the day. Naruto's face then had a curious look on it.

"Did you already have something planned?" he asked. Sakura rubbed the back her neck, looking away momentarily.

"Well, yeah, sort of . . . But it doesn't matter! I mean, if you guys want to go do something, then—"

"We shouldn't ruin your plans," Sasuke said blankly.

"No! It's fine, really! I can do it another time, honestly," she said sincerely. And she meant what she said; it wasn't _that_ important (although she was trying super hard to convince herself of that). Besides, she loved her teammates—they were her boys—her family. After what they put themselves through a few days ago, she owed them.

But even as she protested, Naruto protested even more. After about ten minutes more of them going back and forth, Sasuke scoffed and simply left. Naruto crossed his arms, giving Sakura a firm stare.

"Don't feel like you owe us, Sakura—you don't!" Sakura sputtered a laugh.

"And you used to think that _I_ read minds!" she giggled. After sighing and looking at the time—a quarter to nine—she suddenly had an idea—one that Ino would be proud of. She gave Naruto a smile. "How about this: you and Sasuke and I will go later this afternoon to check mission lineups; afterwards we'll go to Ichiraku or something. In the meantime, I know someone you can hang out with," she offered slyly. She watched his face scrunch up while thinking.

"Okay, but who do you have in mind? Can I train with them?"

A smile. "Well, I know she's out training right now . . ."

* * *

It took a while after Naruto had left, but Sakura had finally made her way back to the steps on the Hokage Faces. This time though, she brought a better flashlight and an old tote bag she used to use to carry books when still at the Academy. Also, she had a hoodie on over her tank-top, though she stuck with her shorts. It was far too cold down there for her red dress.

She knelt down at the entrance of the tunnel. She had sworn to herself that she wouldn't return here, under any circumstances. But that city . . . for some reason, its presence had glued itself into Sakura mind. That fact that it was here, and so close, had been haunting her mind ever since they left.

She knew that it was dangerous—she could remember quite clearly the feeling she had while there. But the place had a pull on her—she _had_ to see what all was really down there.

"So _this_ is what you had planned for the day."

Sakura spun around on the balls of her feet. She didn't even hear Sasuke come up from behind. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I could sense your chakra up here. What are _you_ doing?" he countered. Sakura looked away.

"I'm not sure. But I wanted to check out that city down there. There was something about it that just . . . got to me." She hadn't planned on telling him the truth; but when she was around Sasuke, she felt like she couldn't lie to him. He had that affect on her all the time.

She looked at him as he gazed curiously at the entrance. "Did you want to come?" she asked slowly. He glared at her then looked away, scoffing. Sakura's eyes became downcast for a moment before she brushed off the feeling of rejection. "Fine then."

But after she had jumped down into the hole and landed on the stairs, she heard the soft landing of someone behind her. She shone her flashlight at him, giving him a curious look. "Hn. Knowing you, you'll do something stupid," he mumbled. Sakura couldn't help but giggle at the look on his face. She was relieved when he pulled a flashlight out of his weapons holster.

They began walking down the slope. "So where's the dobe?" Sasuke asked in a bored manner. Sakura laughed before answering.

"Out training with someone—Hinata, actually."

Sasuke came up beside her, smirking. "That was cruel, you know."

"To who? Everyone knows she likes him! I bet she's feeling pretty happy right now."

"He's dense. What do you think is going happen?"

"Oh, shut up! The worst that can happen is her getting a concussion from fainting," she said while rolling her eyes.

They continued on in silence after that. Usually, dead silence between people bothered Sakura to no end. But her usual pet-peeve was long forgotten as she started to feel that unnatural chill go up her spine. This time, now that she was able to, she payed close attention to what was going through her.

First, there was the chill. It seemed to start at the base of her neck, and slowly spread throughout her body; it would crawl down her spine and wrap around her mind like a fog would a forest. Then, not too long after, it was as if there was an ache of some sort in her bones; she couldn't even describe that. At this point, she was certain that the cold she had felt the previous time she was here had little to do with the underground temperatures.

The ground leveled out, and Sakura knew that they would arrive in the city shortly. In her peripheral vision, she could see pale figures—spirits. Normally, they would appear as if they were real people; but for some reason, they just looked like small puffs of white fog, nearly transparent. Sakura wondered if it was the place they were in, if it did something to the spirits. She would have to look at the history of this place to—

She fell to her knees as a sharp pain started pounding in her head, reverberating throughout her entire body.

* * *

**I've realized how horrible I am at cliff-hangers. But, they are necessary. :/**

**So, I'm sick. Might skip school tomorrow. Which means more chapter of my two current stories. Mostly Bloodshet, because I have 26 chapters of this one typed. And it's entire plot line figured out and . . . plotted.**

**So let me know what you think!**


	19. Where The Heart Is

"_When the goal is in sight, all you physical pain disappears, and your mental determination shall carry you the rest of the way."  
-Trey Patty_

* * *

"Sakura!"

Sasuke knelt down and looked at her face—it was deathly pale, her eyes wide, pupils dilated, mouth hung open in what looked like a silent scream. Her hands were covering her ears, blocking out something that he couldn't hear. She doubled over, bent at the hip, to where her forehead was touching the ground in front of her knees. He watched, helpless, as her body started to shake, tears streaming down her face, terror in her eyes.

Stricken, Sasuke placed his hand on her shoulder, pulling her upright. He pulled her hands away from her ears and pulled her against him and held her until she stopped shaking. After a few minutes she calmed down and simply rested against his shoulder. After another moment she straightened, trying to stand. Sasuke stood and helped her up, keeping a firm grip in her arm.

"What happened?"

Sakura wiped at her cheeks and eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm down. Her eyes were still wide from the aftereffects of what happened. "There was this . . . pain in my body . . . and then, just out of nowhere, all of these ghosts just started screaming. It sounded like they were being tortured, Sasuke. It just . . . it was a bit overwhelming, because it was so sudden, you know?" she explained in a hoarse voice.

Sasuke gave her a glare. "We shouldn't be down here, Sakura—it isn't safe. If the dead can do this to you—"

"They can do a lot of things to me, Sasuke. Much worse than what just happened. They can make me see visions of anything, as if I was actually there. They can make me think and feel things that could cause me to kill myself. If a ghost was strong enough, it could shove my soul out of my own body and take it over, and no one would ever know." Sasuke stared at her in disbelief. "I'm always going to be in danger Sasuke, whether it be because of this gift or as a kunoichi—I have to learn how to deal with it," she said solemnly.

Without another word, she turned and continued forward. Sasuke nearly wondered if she was even sane.

Within minutes, the tunnel began to open up; they were at the entrance to the underground city.

This time, now that there were two flashlights, Sakura was able to see better than before. While walking along, she noticed that there were tall posts stationed at the edges of the road. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they were old gas lamps. _'How old is this place?'_ she wondered. She stopped momentarily. "We should probably map out where we go, so we don't get lost down here—I have no idea how big this place actually is," she suggested.

"I've already thought about that." Sakura looked at him in confusion at he pulled out a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his sorts. As he unfolded, Sakura realized it was a map. "This morning I went to the library and did some digging. I found the old design plans of the original layout of the Leaf Village," he said.

"Original layout?"

"About a decade after the founders started conduction the village, there was a massive attack from another village, and they had to start over. But the battle was so bad that the land changed drastically, so they had to come up with new plans."

"When you say that the land changed drastically, you don't think . . ." Sasuke nodded while looking at the old map.

"I think it was some kind of earth-style jutsu. Whatever it was, it seemed like it pretty much buried the original city," he explained.

"And apparently, a lot of the villagers as well," Sakura muttered. She ignored Sasuke's questioning look as her gaze shifted slowly through their dark surroundings. Everywhere she looked, she could see the faces. She could feel them; she felt that there were hundreds more than what she could see. But they acted . . . strange. She knew they were there—_they_ knew that she could sense them. But when her eye caught one, whoever it was would either simply disappear or hide behind something. But they didn't really leave. And she could feel them staring when she looked away.

'_Are they . . . _hiding_ from me?'_ she wondered, incredulous. She slowed her gait—Sasuke doing the same—before slowly stopping in the middle of a four-war intersection of dirt road. The corner before her on her right was an empty lot, save for a bare pole that seemed to reach to the endless, sightless ceiling. The corner before her on her left held a small shack-like building, the shutters falling off the hinges, holes in the windows. There was a wooded board hanging over the front entrance; though the letters were faded, Sakura could barely make out the letters "_AIR SA_ON" written in pink. Behind her on the left side was what appeared to be an old-town restaurant, or maybe a bar? She wasn't too sure. And finally, behind her on the right side, was a grand building. It looked as if it were made of the finest stone from the times. There were two sets of double doors with elaborate handles that stood in front of three large stone pillars; Sakura recognized those as an ancient symbol or power and wealth. The entire building was white, making the black letterings across the top front stand out: CITY HALL.

Sakura looked at Sasuke. "Where are we, based on the current village layout?" She waited as he pulled out another map—the one of the Leaf Village—and placed it under the original design. Sakura walked over and looked over his shoulder as he knelt on the ground. As she looked at the map, she noticed that there was a strange pattern to the layout of the buildings—it seemed that Sasuke noticed it as well, for he paused.

"It seems like everything was built around this intersection where the city hall was," he observed. Sakura nodded.

"The intersection was like the middle, and all of the other buildings were built around here like rings inside a tree," Sakura noted.

"The heart of the village," Sasuke concluded. Sakura nodded slightly as she looked around again.

And watched ghosts hide again from her searching gaze. At this, she finally became irritated; she squared her shoulders and focused on a ghost that was hiding behind the curtain in the restaurant window. "I know you're there," she said, quietly at first. "I know all of you are here—so why are you hiding from me?" she demanded, louder. She continued to swing her gaze around the intersection, trying to get a good look of at least one ghost so she could try and figure this thing out.

After a moment she could feel her irritation rising and decided to put a rest to it for a little while. She turned to Sasuke, who looked at her expectantly. "I don't know what it is," she sighed. "I can feel the ghosts here, but it's like they don't want me to see them or something." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, not entirely sure what to make of it, himself. Sakura shook her head and beckoned him to follow her onward.

"According to the map, the intersection we were just at was directly under the Hokage Tower," he informed, still looking between both maps. "And with the direction we're going, we're heading directly towards the southeastern side of the village."

"So, further away from Hokage Mountain?"

"Yes. What's our time?"

"We have about four hours until we should start heading back," Sakura said, looking at the watch she brought along. "Though I don't think we should be done here that long. There's not very much oxygen down here." Sakura stopped abruptly as she felt the familiar prickling on the back of her neck. She slowly turned around and directed her flashlight at the ghost behind her.

"You two really shouldn't be down here at all."

* * *

**Oohhh cliffy! FYI, this story will be getting kind of dark soon (though it probably won't stay like that) so be a little prepared. :]**

**How's everyone's summer so far?**


	20. The Warning

**Dedicated to **VampireHuntress72095** for being a faithful reader/reviewer. You so totally rock!**

* * *

_"If you're in a bad situation, don't worry: it'll change. If you're in a good situation, don't worry: it'll change."  
~John A. Simone Sr._

* * *

Sakura stared at the ghost in front of her, wondering what she meant. Why shouldn't they be there? It's not like they were doing anything wrong, anyway. As if reading her thoughts, he ghost continued.

"Do you understand what will happen to you down here? Do you truly hold such small value of your own life?" she asked, her face stoic. Sakura's brows furrowed as Sasuke asked what was going on.

"A ghost. She says that we shouldn't be down here and wonders why we don't value our own lives," she mumbled. She turned back to the spirit, her shoulders set firm. "I don't see why we can't be here. Do you have a legitimate reason for me? Because if not, we'll be on our way," she stated. Turning, she and Sasuke started walking again.

They had barely gone ten feet when the ghost appeared in front of Sakura again, making her stop. "You _really_ shouldn't be here, kid," she said. Sakura watched as her face twisted in fear and worry before quickly going back to showing nothing. "It isn't safe for you or your friend."

"Thanks, but no thanks. We'll be fine, trust me," she said while walking again. As her and Sasuke kept moving forward, she heard the woman's words behind her.

"I warned you."

After a few minutes, Sasuke turned to her. "What was that about?"

"She kept trying to get us to go back; she said that it isn't safe for us down here."

"Hn." Sasuke took another look at the map. "If we keep heading forward, we'll hit another intersection. Go forward and we'll go into the residential district. Left will take us to the business area of the city; right, and we should end up at the school, police headquarters, and library," he said.

"So what do you think we should do?" she asked. Sasuke snorted, giving her a look.

"_You're_ the one who wanted to come down here, Sakura," he deadpanned. "You decide." Sakura sighed. She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to think. She didn't think there would be much in the houses—except maybe dead bodies, which she _really_ didn't want to face. She was surprised they hadn't seen any so far. There wouldn't be any sense in seeing the businesses and shops, unless she suddenly had a burst of curiosity. So that left the school, police HQ, and library.

And in all honesty, there was only one thing that piqued her interest.

So she led Sasuke to the library, wondering what she would find. She still didn't know why she was compelled to come in the first place. Normally, she wouldn't trust her first instinct—considering there had been so many times in the past when it had gotten her into trouble. Plus, as a shinobi, she was taught to go off of what she knew, not what she felt. But ever since she started seeing ghosts again, she knew that what she felt would be stronger than what she knew.

Always.

This was why she started to become concerned when she started getting that dark, gut-wrenching feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was the one feeling she got whenever something bad was going to happen. There were only two times in her life when she got this feeling, as strong as it was right then.

The Uchiha Massacre and when her mother died.

She almost decided to turn back, just so she could ease the troubling thoughts in her mind. But there was that other feeling—the one that made her go forward, the one that told her that she _absolutely must_ continue forward. No matter what.

And so that's what she did, with Sasuke by her side.

Sakura knew that nothing was going to happen, and yet she felt that she still had to sweep her flashlight back and forth in front of her, just to make sure that there were still ghosts everywhere. It was just so _quiet_. It reminded her of when she was young, after the seal was placed, how she would sit awake in her bed and just listen. She was so used to the noises of the night—but then there was nothing.

It was at the young age of eight when Sakura learned that silence was deafening.

Within a few minutes, their lights hit a large brick wall. Sakura moved her flashlight up to look for a sign of some sort; there was none. "According to the map, this should be the library," Sasuke informed. After a moment they pushed open the door that stood on its hinges, moving away the spider webs in the process. As they stood in the entrance, they moved their lights around to get a better feel for how big the building actually was; they couldn't see the ceiling, but there was another level to it, from what they could see. Looking at the map Sasuke held, it seemed to be about three times the size of the City Hall, which was just a little smaller than the Hokage Tower.

"So where do we start?" Sasuke wondered out loud, after determining that the place was just _huge_. Sakura was about to throw out some ideas when there was a soft _thump!_ on their left. Sasuke's flashlight quickly swept over to see a book on the floor a few feet away, a cloud of dust surrounding it. "Can ghosts move things?" he asked slowly.

However, there was no answer as one by one, more books began to fall until they seemed to form a line that disappeared into the dark. Following the trail, they were led up a grand spiral staircase and through several isles of dusty, ancient books. Suddenly, the trail of books ended before one more book fell down a few feet in front of them. It was larger than the others and thicker, as well. Upon closer inspection Sakura saw that it was bound in what seemed like leather, colored a deep red. She carefully brushed the thick layer of dust away off the spine; whatever it was, it was written in a language she couldn't read. When she tried opening it, to cover wouldn't budge, as if the binding kept it closed.

"You have to infuse your chakra into the spine."

Looking up quickly, Sakura saw the same ghost from before. "How do you know?" she asked slowly.

"I know that book—it belonged to my brother. I remember when he first found it; he was ecstatic," she told, her voice taking on a tone that an elderly might when telling stories of old memories. One of remembrance and nostalgia. "He started having these ideas of things he could do." Suddenly her voice became sharp, her gaze cold; it was a shocking change from her indifferent appearance only a few moments ago. "There are things you don't know. This book—"

Sakura let out a cry of frustration. When Sasuke asked she simply shook her head. "It's like every time a ghost is going to tell me something important, they disappear. I have to channel my chakra into the spine of the book to open it. But then when she was about to start talking about the book, she vanished."

Sakura stared at the book. When she was younger and in a situation she where she didn't know what to do, she would always ask the "eternal question", as her mother would say.

_What would Jesus do?_

'_I really don't think Jesus saw ghosts, or went into underground cities, '_she thought dimly to herself.

She picked the book up and balanced it in her left hand, running her other hand along front. "This book . . . I really can't explain it, but . . . I have to know what's inside." She switched the book into her other hand, her left now on the spine.

And she channeled her chakra into the book.


	21. Feeling Useless

"_We fear that which we cannot see." -Bleach_

* * *

The first thing Sasuke noticed was that Sakura's entire body seemed to straighten, her spine becoming erect. Her head fell back, her mouth open, eyes closed. Her arms fell into her lap, the book still tightly gripped in her hands. Sasuke tried to get up to see what was wrong, but found that he was being held down where he was, a few feet away from his teammate. He looked down, trying to move the flashlight around in his hand.

With a jolt, he saw hands on his arms, arms around his waist, _people_ that seemed to be coming up from the floor. Their faces where glaring at him in a silent scream. They tugged harder, as if trying to drag him down into the floor to the level below. Sasuke's gaze shot up, and his heart dropped.

There was suddenly "people" everywhere, some young, some old; some healthy, and some that looked as if they had stepped off a battle ground. But the way they moved seemed to be with such a fluidness that they couldn't be walking—

It was then that Sasuke realized that they _weren't_ walking.

He was seeing the dead.

His eyes widened as he looked at the ghosts—really looked at them. While some of them looked somewhat normal (for what he still considered _normal_) others were beaten, bruised, or just missing random body parts all together.

"_She opened they book—"_

"—_they are still here?—"_

"—_can he see us?—"_

"—_they will die here—"_

The whispered continued; he jumped as he felt—_oh god he could feel them!—_another hand prodding at his side, more ghosts pulling down on him. He tried to shout at them, demand that they let him go—but his voice wasn't working, his throat feeling tight. A face appeared right in front of his own, so close that he could see into the empty eye sockets. Before he could react, the face was gone, blending back into the crowd of the dead.

'_Is this what she sees?'_

A bright, blinding light suddenly erupted in front of him. When Sasuke looked he saw that the book had opened in Sakura's lap, the pages were flipping around madly—but it wasn't the book that was releasing the light.

It was the ghost that had its hands wrapped around Sakura's head.

Sasuke didn't know much about ghosts, about what they could do. But from what Sakura told him, they could do much more that what he was comfortable with. And when he was Sakura's face suddenly contorted in pain, he suddenly felt that same, unnamable desperate need to _do something_.

The ghost that had its hands on Sakura's head seemed to glow brighter, as well as the ghosts close to him—to Sakura, Sasuke realized. The further away the ghosts were from his teammate, the dimmer they were. Somehow, they were feeding off of some kind of energy within Sakura, making them visible to him.

And also, it made them stronger.

It was then that something snapped inside him. Something had to be done. _He _had to do something, even if he couldn't move.

"SAKURA!"

The air around him whirled as his voice carried throughout the underground. The dead souls went into a frenzy of movement, becoming one blur together. The sensation of the ghosts was almost substantial, to the point that dust was falling off walls, stinging Sasuke's eyes. The flashlights flickered erotically before going out completely. He quickly fought against what held him down, managing to move forward an inch or so in the general direction of where his teammate was.

He felt himself lurch forward as his restraints disappeared.

His hands fumbled with the flashlight that had landed at his feet when it was dropped from his grip earlier. After finding that it was still dead he started to feel along the floor, moving towards the direction where Sakura was. Sweat beaded his brow as his breath became shallow; the air was dense with dust and dirt from the energy still churning around them. The tips of his fingers touched a hard edge, a corner—the book! As he moved his hands along it, finding Sakura's hands, his breath hitched as he noticed how cold her skin was; it felt as if she had been recently submerged in ice, warmth not yet thawing her. His hands went hastily went up her arms and around her shoulders, another going under her knees as her lifted her up. As he stood, his legs shook, knees close to buckling, though not from the added weight. Sasuke felt a hard edge poking him in the chest; she still clutched the book like a lifeline. As he started to move forward, he suddenly realized that it was pitch black and he couldn't see. The atmosphere was still warm, turning hot, from the amount of spiritual energy. Before he could come up with a plan, his body turned cold, though not from a "sixth sense" or fear; it was almost relaxing.

"_Don't worry." _The voice came from within his mind; Sasuke felt his legs become stronger, his back straighter and his body began to move without his consent. _"I'm going to help you get her out of here; you'd never find your way out without me, anyway."_

As they moved along, he started piecing things together, making the situation just a bit clearer. He was being possessed, though by who, he still wasn't sure. The ghost communicated with him from within his own mind. He also had no idea why she would want to help.

"_I warned the girl earlier for a reason. The two of you should have never come back down here,"_ she said. So she was the ghost Sakura mentioned earlier.

"Why are you helping? I thought you wanted us dead."

"_I never wished for your deaths. You are only assuming I did based on the actions of the other spirits in this cursed place._" Sasuke had nothing to say after that. He wasn't able to fathom why the spirits would want them dead; as far as he knew, they had done nothing wrong.

As they moved out of the library and back onto the hidden streets, Sasuke heard then what he wasn't able to before. The cackling was loud, the screams filled with such painful terror. At that point, he was almost thankful that he couldn't see.

"_Believe me, you'd really rather not."_

The young Uchiha knew when they were out of the city limits when he was shocked by the sudden cold of the underground. The ghost was still in control of his body as they neared the stairs that led up to above ground—the small spot of light in the distance indicated so. He felt his legs lift them up into the light once they reached to top of the eroded steps. As they landed outside the opening, he thought that would be it; he was proven wrong when he still moved forward with his inhuman speed.

"_I'm taking the both of you back to the girl's home. That is the safest place for her at the moment,_" the ghost explained. Sasuke wondered for a moment before remembering—before he had left, Riko had placed . . . something on her apartment, keeping her safe from dark and evil spirits. How the ghost knew this, he didn't know.

It wasn't long until they were standing at the window outside Sakura's bedroom. He heard the latch come undone, the ghost leaving his body. This time, his legs did buckle under him; he leaned against the window while standing on the small ledge. The window opened up and he slowly made his way in, Sakura still in his arms. Behind him he heard a slight shuffling, and turning, bit down a gasp, his eyes widening at the thing.

It was standing outside the window, just one the edge, not able to get past whatever Riko had done. The skin was nearly gone, the eyes absent. Its jaw hung, looking as if it wasn't even locked in, but merely attached by the little skin and muscle that was left. The head was bald with patches of wispy hair on the head. The cloths were ninja-wear, though it appeared to be rather recent.

Sasuke watched as the decaying body held out something—Sakura's red tote bag. But instead of being limp and empty, it appeared to be stuffed. Without warning, it fell from the hand that held it, a finger snapping. As the bag hit the floor, yellowed papers and books with torn edges and bindings peeked out from the top. Before Sasuke had the chance to move, the dead man was gone, and Sasuke honestly didn't care where he went. Turning, he went to lay Sakura down on her bed. When he did, he finally got a good look at her since things went haywire in the library. For the second time that day, his breathing halted, and he stared.

Her skin was pale, her hair's usual luster dulled, as if aged. There were bags under her eyes, her cheekbones sticking out. Through her torn and ripped cloths, Sasuke could clearly see her ribs. There was a gash on her knee, dirt and grime in the wound. Her slow breathing was loud, sounding strained. Her hands shook slightly.

She looked sick.

There was hardly ever a time that Sasuke was put into a situation when he didn't know what to do. It was rare, the last time he could recall . . . he didn't even know. He always had some sort of plan, or even a backup plan. Though this time, he knew that he was far out of his league.

After quickly getting Sakura under her covers, and even grabbing the afghan from her couch in the other room, he quickly searched her entire apartment for . . . something. He found his answer on a sticky note that was on her fridge.

'_If you ever need me, just call._

_~Riko'_

Rushing back to her room, Sasuke grabbed her cell phone off of her desk (**they have those, okay?**). Scrolling through CONTACTS, he became irritated when he didn't find her brother's name—it should be here, shouldn't it?

And then he found this:

**IDIOT TRAITOR**

Well, that could be him.

Wasting no time, Sasuke hit CALL and waited through the ringing. As he waited, he kept his eyes on his teammate. How was it possible that she could go from looking completely healthy, then a couple hours later, go to look like . . .

. . . like she was dying.

"_Hey Sis, everything alright?"_

He didn't even know what was going on, and he already assumed that something was wrong. Sasuke took a deep breath.

"It's me. Sasuke."

"_Sasuke? What's going on—is Sakura alright?" _Riko demanded, his voice filled with worry. Faintly, Sasuke could hear the other two in the background, the girl asking questions.

"I'm not sure—" Sasuke was surprised by how calm his voice sounded "—something happened."

"_What? What's going on?"_

Sasuke took another deep breath, running his hand through his hair. It was dusty. "We—Sakura and I—were underground—"

"_Underground? Why would the two of you be—?"_

"Something with the spirits down there—don't ask how we already knew about it. But we were down there and something . . . happened. I'm not sure what it was, but the ghosts down there just went crazy—it was right after we found this book—but now, we're out, but she looks like she's aged years or something. She doesn't look right—she's cold, and her bones stick out in places that weren't visible a few hours ago and—"

"_Shit; I'll be there. Just, try and keep her warm. If she wakes up at all, get her water. Hang on until I get there, alright?" _he said, his voiced rushed. Sasuke nodded, and then remembered that he was on the phone.

"Right."

He heard the other line _click_ before he closed her phone, setting it back on the dresser. He continued to look at Sakura, his gut clenching. He'd never gotten this nervous over her condition before—yes, he'd seen her hurt in battles in the past, but this just seemed to be different. Because this time, he didn't know what really happened or how to fix it. He didn't know if she was going to be okay; she didn't look like she would be okay.

Grabbing the chair by her desk, Sasuke pulled it up by her bed and sat down; he fisted his hands together as he watched her breathe.

For now, the only thing he could do was sit and wait.

* * *

**Well, how was that? Dark and stuff...**

**R&R**


	22. Revelations

"_You are my sweetest downfall; I loved you first." –Regina Spektor_

* * *

Sasuke didn't know how long he sat there next to Sakura. But however long it truly was, it felt like years. In the time since he had talked with her brother, he had added a few blankets on top of her form, and had turned up her thermostat a bit—though not much, remembering her current financial struggles.

Her condition concerned him, making him fidget and pace and run his hands through his now-tangled hair and curse under his breath and pace some more and _he felt like he was going insane._

He also didn't know why it had to be in the middle of a crisis that he came to so many revelations that probably could have happened at any other time that wasn't when his teammate was possibly _not_ going to be okay.

He cursed his life at that moment.

He pondered again on said revelations, finding them strange. He had thought, when he was first put on a team with Sakura and Naruto, that they would only hinder him in his revenge, that he shouldn't associate himself with such people unless strictly necessary. He had just wanted to be alone, not wanting to deal with the morons he was forever assigned to.

He never thought he'd actually come to _care_ for these idiots.

Naruto, of course, was the first to be accepted. He and Sasuke were just so similar, and Sasuke could almost consider him an equal. He was his best friend.

But when, he wondered, had he let Sakura into his life on a level that was personal, past the term "teammates"?

Of course, even in the beginning, he had felt those rare moments when all three of them had been so close, truly feeling as if they were a close-knit family. But when had it changed for Sakura? She had been trying for the longest time to get close to his heart, but when had actually let her?

Perhaps, he decided, it wasn't at one single moment. As he thought back there were actually several. The first, when he was given the Curse Mark, and she had held him, holding his hand as he tried to fight through the pain, caring for him when he was unconscious, protecting him when the Sound Ninja were trying to kill him. Or perhaps when they were fighting Gaara, and he felt like he was going to lose control, and she was suddenly there, rubbing his back, and trying to coax him through it, _again_, and protecting him, _again._

It was several small moments that she became something more, something special. When she had fallen off of the cliff, and he had checked her pulse, finding none, he could clearly remember how panicked he felt, fearing her death. How he felt seeing her crash into the ground down in the tunnels, when the ghosts were controlling her.

How they tortured her in the library and he had to watch.

He realized he didn't want that to happen to her, how he desperately wanted to protect her. It shocked him how far he was willing to go for her. Even to the point of sucking up his pride and called someone else for help.

She was important to him, he now knew. As to what extent, he wasn't sure. But it was the fact that he had unknowingly let her in that amazed him.

Now that she was so close, Sasuke didn't think she would ever leave his life; she was his friend now, and he was going to do whatever possible to keep her safe and happy.

Because his mother did teach him how to treat a lady, even at the young age of seven.

He sensed a presence outside the apartment and quickly stood and walked to the front door. When he reached it, the door was already opening, a disguised Riko coming through.

Riko wasn't sure what to expect as he rushed to Sakura's apartment. But he sure didn't imagine finding Itachi's baby brother standing there, a helpless look hidden in his eyes. The boy knew how to hide his emotions, but after living with another Uchiha for so long, Riko knew the signs.

He could see already that they boy was worried beyond his mind, and didn't know what he was supposed to do.

That in itself made Riko worry for his sister's well-being even more.

"Where is she?"

Silently, Sasuke turned and walked briskly through the back hall and into the bedroom. Riko followed his on his heels, but stopped dead in his tracks when he finally saw for himself Sakura's condition.

"What the hell did you do?"

He had meant it rhetorically for Sakura, knowing how her curiosity could sometimes get her into unfortunate situations—that much he remembered about her. But he didn't think about Sasuke thinking it was meant for him.

"I've done nothing! I've been trying to make sure she's okay, that she's still—"

Putting a hand on the younger boy's shoulder, Riko looked into his eyes. "No, I know. I wasn't asking you, I was just . . ."

He was also at a loss for words.

"What happened?"

An hour later, Riko sat back against the edge of Sakura's bed, sighing. Even knowing how Sakura could be, and hearing Sasuke tell him the whole story, all details included, he still couldn't believe it.

How could she have been so careless?

From what the Uchiha said, she had known the first time she stepped into the hidden city that there was something off-kilter about it, something that just wasn't right at all. And yet she went back. He honestly thought that she would be smarter than that.

"It isn't your fault, you know," he mumbled. "In fact, if you hadn't found her when she was about to go in, she'd probably be dead right now, and no one would even know."

He felt like he needed to say this. If Sasuke was anything like his older brother, he was probably feeling some level of guilt over the situation. Riko wanted to make him realize that there wasn't anything that could have been done.

"I could have left. I could have let her go in by herself. I had thought about it."

"But you stayed with her. In more ways than one, you saved her life." Sasuke looked unconvinced.

"So . . . what's wrong with her?" he asked after a moment.

Riko ran a hand through his dark hair, closing his eyes momentarily. "It's complicated to explain; Tiashi would do better than me. But basically, the spirits down there sucked the spiritual energy out of Sakura, basically feeding off of her and leaving her drained. I didn't think it would actually have this much of an effect on her health, though."

He watched as Sasuke's tired eyes slid over to Sakura's face, his brow creased slightly in the middle.

"She'll be fine, I think. She won't die, but I don't know how long it'll take for her to recover. At least this isn't as bad as before," he said, the last part slightly mumbled. He received a questioning gaze from the other male in the room.

"What happened before?"

Riko debated on getting into the story; it probably wasn't something he should bring up with Sasuke, but he couldn't find it in him to lie to the kid. "It was at the time that your clan was murdered," he said quietly. "Sakura was just barely seven; the onslaught of the dead coming to her freaked her out enough. But the sudden number of deaths in a short period of time made a small opening between the world of the living and the world of the dead—again, something Tiashi could explain better. But some kind of demon had come through into this dimension and had sucked energy out of Sakura. It took Tiashi over a week to send the demon back to its hell-dimension. Sakura was so out of it for weeks that we had to pull her out of school for almost two months until she was mentally stable enough to go back to the Academy.

"However, there were lasting physical affects. She was so much weaker. She would tire from light training after class. It sort of shows why she was so behind in the physical aspect of her learning."

He noticed Sasuke's eyes became slightly downcast. "I used to tell her that she was too weak to be a ninja . . . that she was worse than Naruto . . ."

"But I was."

Both boys looked over suddenly. Sakura's eyes were opened slightly, staring at nothing in particular. "I was weaker . . . but . . . I'm better . . . right?" she whispered. Riko smiled softly as he leaned forward and took Sakura's hand in both of his.

"Yes, Sakura. You are much, much stronger."

There was a small smile gracing her lips as she drifted back into the realm of unconsciousness. Riko looked at Sasuke, taking in his slouched form and half-lidded eyes.

"Go home, kid. You're a wreck and you've had a long day. You need some sleep." Sasuke hesitated for a moment. "Look, I'm going to stay here with her overnight; come back once you've had at least ten hours, alright?" he said. After a moment Sasuke nodded and stood, swaying on his feet. Swiftly, Riko stood to catch him.

He wondered how he got stuck taking care of these kids.

After taking an unconscious Sasuke home, Riko sat on the edge of Sakura's bed as she slept. His hand extended and brushed a piece of hair off of her face, brushing his hand on her cheek before placing his hand on her head.

"I know you're awake, Sakura. You have been for a while—I'm not dense," he said softly. Sakura slowly opened her eyes, staring at her brother with a dead look.

"I'm a terrible person," she whispered hoarsely.

"Why do you say that, kid?"

Sakura took a shuttering breath before glancing off to the side. "I knew that something bad was going to happen—I just kept going, and then Sasuke got hurt, too… Did you see his arms?"

Riko nodded, remembering what the boy's arms had looked like; the bruises on his arms from the grip of the spirits would be there for at least a week. "It isn't your fault. Neither of you knew something of that extent was going to happen. What did you _think_ was going to happen, Sakura? Some revelation?"

"No. I just . . . I felt like I had to be down there, you know? I mean, the secrets that are down there—"

"Might be kept secret for so long for a reason. Look, I don't want you going down there ever again, do you understand?" Sakura's eyes widened as she protested, but he simply told her to listen to him for once in her life. For a moment it was quiet, the sounds from outside keeping it from being dead silent.

"Riko. I did figure something out when I was down there—something about me," she whispered.

"Hm? And what would that be?"

"I think I can manipulate the dead." At the look on her brother's face, she elaborated. "Not like zombies and stuff. Because that would be when their souls are back in a physical body. But the spirits themselves, I think I can control them somehow. When we were down there, in the library, the ghosts kept trying to hurt us after I'd lost my control. I don't remember much, but . . . I remember Sasuke screamed, and I wanted them to stop, I didn't want him to get hurt. And then they backed off, I think. While we were being brought back up, I kept slipping in and out of consciousness, and kept telling the spirits to stay away." Sakura paused for a moment, looking back at her brother. "Riko, am I crazy?"

Riko stared down at his baby sister for a moment, running his fingers through her hair. How was he supposed to respond to that? He wasn't sure he even believed it—the ghosts could have made her believe this, then she would think she could protect herself, and when she got into another bad situation (because it was bound to happen) then she would be able to protect herself—Riko knew that he was over thinking this, but he felt like he had to. He wanted to tell her that everything would be alright, that her life would someday go back to normal. Unfortunately, she would want the truth, no sugarcoating. But that didn't mean that he was about to tell her the whole truth.

"Sakura . . . you already see and talk to dead people. For most sane people in society, that's enough to put you on medication. But you and I know that things aren't always what they seem. That there's more to the world than what the eye can see. I don't know if this new thing of yours is even true—it could just be a trick. But if it is real, and you can actually do this, then . . . we'll deal with it.

"It won't always be alright, but I'll always be right here."

* * *

**Yup, very touching. This isn't going to be like my other stories, with humor and a somewhat serious plot. This entire story is going to be serious. There will be other elements to distract from bad events, but it will be a bit different.**

**R&R PLeasE!**


	23. The Discovery

"_We fear that which we cannot see . . ."  
—Bleach_

* * *

"_Riko! Can you play with me today?"  
"I'm sorry, Sakura; I have homework. Maybe tomorrow?"_

"_Riko, do you want to color with me?"  
"Not today, little sis; I'm going to hang out with my friends today."_

"_Riko, are you busy today?"  
"Yes, Sakura. I can't play with you today, I'm sorry."_

"_Riko, can you—"  
"Not now, Sakura. I don't want to play your kiddie games today."_

"_Mom! Mom, what's going on?"  
"Baby, it's Sakura—something's happened…."  
"What do you mean?"  
"She's in the hospital—her heart stopped."_

"_Doctor, will she be okay?"  
"We aren't sure yet; she went into cardiac arrest a couple of times. We are trying our best to stabilize her."  
"What are the chances of our daughter surviving?"  
"We don't know. I'm sorry—HEY!"  
"Riko, what's the matter with you?"  
"YOU HAVE TO SAVE HER!"_

_Riko looked at the tiny body lying in the white bed, her skin blending in with the sheets.  
"Don't worry, Sakura. From now on, I'm going to take of you. I'll be here for you. I promise. I won't ever leave you."_

"_Mom? What's going on?"  
"Sakura! Oh, Sakura, hon! It's your brother!"  
"What is it? Is he okay?"  
"Sakura, he's gone!"_

* * *

Sakura's eyes opened slowly, the world around her was a blur before her vision slowly focused. She could still feel the pain in muscles, and the rest of her body felt stiff as a bored. However, she still carefully lifted her arm and pulled the sheets away from her body. After a minute she was leaning against the headboard, breathing labored from exerting herself.

Once she caught her breath, Sakura slowly turned so that her feet were toughing the carpet beside her bed. Cautiously, she leaned weight on her feet and lifted herself from the bed. After a moment she began to walk forward. She yelped when her legs gave out, knees buckling and her body hitting to floor. She cried out as searing pain shot throughout her body, tears flooding her eyes. From her position on the floor she could hear rushed footsteps, then her door flying open and hitting the wall.

"Sakura!"

She felt arms tuck themselves under her legs and around her shoulders before she was lifted into the air. "I can walk, you know," she said. She felt a chuckle rumble from the chest underneath her cheek.

"You fell trying to get out of bed," he countered. "Just let me take care of you for once, okay?" he reasoned. Sakura remained quiet as she was carried down the hallway and into the living room. As she was laid down on the couch, she noticed that she wasn't the only person in the apartment besides her brother.

"Sakura, hey! Are you feeling any better?"

Sakura smiled. "I'm fine, Naruto." She looked over slightly to see Sasuke sitting on the stool beside the island on the edge of the kitchen. Sakura took a better look at him, taking in his unusual appearance. His hair looked to be tangled, seeming to be worse than his normal look. His skin was paler than normal; there were dark circles under his eyes. Sakura could already feel the threads of guilt tugging at her, making her feel worse than she did when she woke up. This was her fault; Sasuke would be like this if it wasn't for her. If she had never even thought of going back into the underground village, none of this would have happened. She wouldn't be feeling like Chouji sat on her, Sasuke wouldn't look like he'd been sick for months, and she wouldn't have to deal with her brother, of all people.

Speaking of which, she wondered at how he knew she was hurt. For all she knew, he had left the village months ago with his team to go off and do whatever it is that he does. She didn't think Sasuke contacted him—first, how would he be able to, and besides, Sasuke's pride wouldn't allow it. Thinking about how he got there, though, only made Sakura's head ache.

She only wished that he would just leave. She didn't need to be taken care of. In fact, she's been doing fine on her own—she doesn't need his help!

Although, she did appreciate it when he brought her breakfast, setting it on the table in front of her. Belgium waffles, bacon, and those funny and tasty fried-dough things covered with powdered sugar that Mother used to make when they were little. She could never remember the name, but she did remember how amazing they were with milk.

Apparently, Naruto thought so too, considering he had four stacked high on his plate. Along with several strips of bacon and two monster-sized waffles.

"These waffles area amazing! I could eat these all day!" he shouted with a grin. Sakura gave him a look.

"Naruto, don't talk with your mouth full, it's rude," she chided. "Sasuke, aren't you going to eat anything?"

Said boy shook his head. "I don't like sweets. And I already ate something," he added after a moment.

Sakura nodded after a moment. She tried for conversation, but quickly found that she didn't yet have the energy for it; the previous few days seemed to have pulled every ounce of energy out of her, leaving her empty. She found the white walls surrounding her closing in on her mind and invading her senses; the conversation between the boys going on a few feet away blurred in her ears, the sounds becoming jumbled together; a cloud seemed to fog over her being, making her unable to respond to what was going on around her or even form a coherent thought. For reasons that were unknown to her, she felt as if she were up very high, that maybe things would feel better if she was much lower; all too soon, the white turned a bit darker, and something was rushing to meet her—

"Sakura!"

Instantly everything was clear; the boys were kneeling over her, a concerned look on Riko's face. After a moment Sakura realized that she had fallen off the couch and landed on the floor—but how had she not fallen unconscious? Surely the fall would have made a terrible collision with her head.

"You're lucky Sasuke had seen you start to fall over and caught you just in time—are you trying to get yourself in more pain than you already have?" Riko scolded. Though her continued talking, Sakura blocked him out and shifted her gaze over a few inches to her dark-haired teammate. He caught her falling? Why was he suddenly saving her every other day? First in the library, then twice here—not to mention times on missions! Sakura wanted to know what was going through his head, but of course he sealed off whatever his thoughts were from his outer expressions.

Once again, she felt herself being lifted from the ground; this time she was laid on the couch, propped up with several pillows and covered with the comforter from her bedroom. When she looked over, she noticed something that she swore wasn't there a few minutes ago—her red tote bag. But something was off . . .

"Sasuke?"

"Hn?"

"When we were down in the library, did you fill my tote?" she asked slowly, still staring at the thing. When she looked upon her teammate, she noticed a dazed look behind his eyes.

"No. Something else did."

By now everyone was staring at the stuffed bag, wondering what was inside. Riko started to move toward it when it suddenly shifted away from his grasp, shooting across the floor and up into Sakura's lap. There was a dead silence as Sakura slowly put the tote on the floor right beside her spot on the couch. She reached her hand down with caution to start sifting through it when a book flew out of it and into her hands—

It was the same book from the library.

Sasuke noticed this as well.

"Are you sure it's such a good idea to try and mess with that one again?" he asked slowly. Sakura shrugged her shoulders; for some reason, it continued to come to her on its own accord, which she still couldn't understand. She'd already infused her chakra into it once—surely now it would let her read into it?

Once everyone had gathered around her position on the couch, she opened the front cover, gazing at the perfect and elegant cursive writing within. She read aloud:

"_The past has happened; it cannot change.  
The present is happening; the moment you want to change a moment, it has become the past.  
The future is unknown; you can't change what you know nothing of."_

"So . . . what does that mean?" Naruto asked loudly. Sakura ran her fingers over the words, going over them in her mind again.

"It means, basically, that no matter what, your life is already set in stone, and nothing can be done about it."

"But why would that be written inside the cover?"

Instead of answering, Sakura started flipping through the pages. At first, she found mostly blank pages, with just a few random numbers. Then, beside the numbers, there were small notes; the further into the book she got, the notes became more detailed. She stopped at a page that was dog-eared and read over it—the number on the top seemed familiar. She looked at the note next to it—_the Leaf has been formed—_and everything clicked.

The numbers were dates.

Sakura started skimming what was written on the pages, looking to see what was recorded throughout the history of the village. There were some of the major events, such as when the first Hokage was chosen, and how he fought Madara Uchiha to keep he title as village leader. Other events, such as wars and political scandals were also on the pages. She voiced her discoveries to the others.

"How far in do the dates go?" Riko asked, taking the book from her hands. He started shuffling through the pages himself. Past he middle, her face held wonder. "There are dates that include discoveries made by our grandfather," he said quietly. Going further in, he also stated that there were dates that were incredibly recent.

"But that doesn't make any sense," Sasuke countered. "Everything down there looked as if it hadn't been touched in at least a few decades. There shouldn't be anything about the recent years." Riko shook his head.

Suddenly his face became pale as he neared the end of the book. "Everything in here . . . from this point on, it's about you, Sakura." There was a dead silence in the room as he slowly gave the book back to Sakura.

The pink-haired girl started looking closer at what was in front of her. There was the date of her birth; then the day that she was put into surgery at three and nearly died. The date that she saw her first ghost. The day that her parents took her to get tested for schizophrenia. The day that Riko took her to the Third for a seal to be placed after she was traumatized by the amount of spirits a week after the Uchiha Massacre. The day that Riko left her.

Everything after that was days she was teased in the Academy, when Team 7 was formed, all of the missions that she was ever on. The entire second half of the book seemed to document her life. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the page she then turned to.

_June 13 2010: Haruno, Sakura and Uchiha, Sasuke find themselves trapped beneath the village._

_June 15 2010: _

She felt as if her world seemed to stop. How was it that the book had the events recorded the very day that she found it? And what was supposed to happen today? Sakura felt herself begin to hyperventilate as she started going through more pages. There were dates and small markings that she couldn't identify throughout the rest of the book.

"You don't understand, do you?"

Sakura's head shot up as she stared across the room—it was the same ghost from under the village—the one that warned her. Rage shot through Sakura like a desert storm. "What the hell do you want? And what is this?" she shouted, her voice shaking. When she received no answer, she threw the book as hard as she could at the ghost. The object sailed through the woman and into shelf behind her, knocking things onto the floor, some items shattering upon impact with the floor. "Get out of here! I don't want to see you!"

Riko came over and sat in front of Sakura, placing his hands on both sides of her face, forcing her to look at him. "Hey, look at me—Sakura, look at me!" he demanded firmly. "It's okay—whoever it is, they can't hurt you. You have full control here, not them," he reminded. Sakura's eyes glazed over as she began fighting against her brother's hold.

"No it isn't!" she screamed, going into hysterics. "Nothing is in my control! That book says it all! I can't do anything!" she cried out.

"I can explain, you know," said an agitated voice.

Sakura glared at the woman before her, her eyes turning into icy green orbs.

"_Then start."_

* * *

**For later reference, this chapter was posted on 7/20/'11. Which shows how long it was between writing this chapter and actually posting it. I was very shocked to see that, but it kind of makes sense. When I finish a chapter, I go back about three times to self-edit while continuing on with the story to check for plot errors and make sure it flows with everything else.**

**Anyway, please review! I want to know how many people are reading the story, so even if you just say hi or ask for an update soon, that's fine as long as i know you're reading!**


	24. 6 Years

"_The sharp knife of a short life . . ."  
~The Band Perry_

* * *

Sakura watched as another object flew out from within her tote bag—this time, a scroll. It unrolled itself to show intricate markings on it. "Mark the center of the scroll with your blood," the woman instructed. Sakura eyed her wearily and distrustfully. The ghost sighed. "It will allow your companions to communicate with me, as well." Sakura shuffled off of the couch and onto the floor, kneeling over the scroll. It appeared to be written in an ancient language, though she couldn't decipher it. The logical part of her mind told her to not trust anything this woman said and to banish her from the house—

"Wait a second, how are you even in here?" Sakura demanded. The ghost angrily pointed at the scroll; Sakura rolled her eyes and bit her thumb before wiping it across the center. The faded ink on the paper seemed to glow before swirling together and forming what looked to be like a pentagram, but with more markings in and around it. Sakura started to back away from it.

'_Great. I've probably summoned some demon—I shouldn't have listened to her!'_

Despite the fear in her mind, the only thing that actually happened was the woman still being there, the light fading away and—

"WOAH, WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?"

"Naruto, shut up," Sasuke mumbled, not taking his eyes off of the woman. Somehow, though he didn't know how, he knew that this was the woman that led him and Sakura out of the underground village—it was just a gut feeling, but he was so sure. Immediately he was less tense, knowing that this was a ghost that had helped save Sakura's life, that she wasn't all bad.

Riko gazed at the ghost before him. Not unlike Sakura, he also wondered how she was able to enter Sakura's home—was it possible that the binding-jutsu he had placed on these walls had weakened?

As if reading his thoughts, the woman spoke to him directly. "Of course I can get past the jutsu on the apartment—I know the loopholes to my own makings," she said slowly. Riko's eyes widened, staring at her.

"_You're_ the one who created it?" he asked, shocked. "Then you must be—"

"Natalia Fujihame," she said slowly gazing steadily at him.

"Wait, who are you lady?" Naruto asked loudly, pointing a finger at her. Natalia shot him a look of annoyance before once again donning a look of indifference and superiority. Riko answered for her.

"She was the first necromancer in the village's history—well, technically she came from the neighboring country, but she lived here in the Leaf," he said, his voice somber.

"What's a necromancer?" Sasuke asked.

Riko leaned back into the couch, next to Sakura, and ran hand through his hair. "A necromancer is someone who can talk to the dead and raise the dead—"

"Like a zombie?"

"No, you moron," Natalia seethed. She once again calmed herself before continuing. "I had the ability to pull a soul from the world of the dead and put in back into its decaying body," she said. "It's a bit closer to reanimation." She turned towards Sakura. "I created the jutsu that your brother has used for the same reason as him: for protection against the dead."

"Did it fail? You look very young," Sakura noted. Natalia gave a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"I was hung by the village council for suspicion of witchcraft and association with the devil," she said gravely. Sakura's eyes widened as her jaw dropped.

"W-what? They murdered you?"

"It's not as evil as it initially sounds, child. There is an actual story behind it . . . Back then, you were not considered crazy for claiming to see dead people; you were considered evil, a spawn of the devil himself. In times that were history to me, if someone was believed to have a connection to the dead, they were tied to a wooden post and burned publically. If they didn't burn, they were considered evil and then killed by other means."

"But if they did burn, they were innocent and just died anyway," Sakura concluded, her eyes downcast. Natalia nodded.

"Yes. But back then and even in my times, people with such abilities were feared because of an invasion decades before my time by shinobi. Which leads to me leaving my village and coming to the Leaf—because I might be able to blend into society better."

"So what happened?"

"There was a man from my former home whom resented me because I refused his marriage proposal; upon hearing where I was, he decided to avenge himself and kill me. He told a lie to the village council—something about how I was associated with the enemy. They had me hung for treason."

"But there was no proof! They can't do that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter. Back then, you were guilty until proven innocent. The sad thing about the situation is that my fiancé at the time knew of my innocence and tried to defend me. Shortly after I died, he hung himself beside me in grief." It was silent for a moment before a shocked look came to Natalia's eyes and she gave Sakura a dirty look. "You made me waste my time!"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm supposed to inform you of other things. Sneaky little brat . . ."

"You were saying?" Riko prompted.

"That book . . . you've probably realized that it isn't an ordinary book. Yes, it has recorded dates in it. Including every major event in your lifetime. All of the recorded dates before you were born are dates that have either inspired you, will inspire you, or have helped create the person you are today. Such as when your parents met, when certain books were written that will lead you to discoveries. When the disease was brought into your bloodline that would later cause you to have to go into surgery—everything in this book is connected to you and your life and future."

"How is that even possible?" Sakura asked. "It already has dates that will be important in the future—that's not possible!"

"Have you already forgotten what you read inside the front cover? Also, think closely: you have a deep connection with the dead, meaning you also have a connection with time. The moment you infused your chakra into that book, it linked itself to your life. The book itself is also connected to time—you could say it's a 'portal' between your world and mine," she explained.

Sakura shook her head, confusion evident on her face. "But, why do I need it? What is this book going to do for me?" she wondered out loud. Natalia shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure, myself. My only purpose was to inform you of its powers." Riko leaned forward, staring at her.

"Inform? Who told you to get involved?" he demanded. Before an answer could be given the scroll started to burn and shriveled, turning into ashes. Natalia was gone.

Everyone looked at Sakura, whose face was a sickly pale color. She stood shakily and walked over to where the book lay on the other side of the room. Picking it up, she turned to the last few pages. "Sakura," Naruto asked, worried. "What are you doing?"

"This book is supposed to have every major thing in my life . . . I want to know . . ."

She stood there, looking at the last page, tears forming in her eyes before she closed the book. Riko came over and took the book from her and tried opening it. However, it wouldn't, because it wasn't his chakra that was connected to it. The man looked down at his sister to see you holding back everything she was feeling. He caught her before she fell to the floor, which was still covered with everything from the shelf.

"Sakura, what is it?"

Sakura gathered up all of her energy and pushed away from her brother and rushed out of the apartment and into the late morning.

Sasuke ran out after her before the other two cold move. Following her, he saw her collapse into the grass in a small park a few blocks away from where she lived. He slowly picked her up and led her over to the empty swingset, sitting down next to her in the other swing. The rocked for a few moments in the gentle breeze; Sasuke waited until Sakura's sniffles died down. Eventually they did, but when he took a glance at her face, it was set in deep depression; he started to wonder how her life had suddenly turned out so miserable.

"What did you see?"

Sakura breathed unsteadily, her hands shaking while gripping the metal chains of the swing. Her throat felt tight and her eyes and head hurt. She felt sick in every way; her body almost sagged with physical and mental exhaustion. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

"It doesn't matter," she whispered.

Sasuke didn't say anything after that. But Sakura felt that she could be okay with that. She didn't really feel like she could explain what she had seen. She vaguely wondered if Naruto and Riko were still at the apartment. Perhaps one of them had figured out what she had. Honestly, it wasn't that hard once you connected everything that Natalia had said about the book. They didn't need t look inside to know what it was.

Sakura's heart seized when she remembered what was on that last page. At that moment, she could no longer hold everything in as she doubled and cried—really cried—for the first time in years. She held her hand over her mouth and the other on her stomach and she felt her forehead touch her knees. Her body racked with gut-wrenching sobs.

Sasuke was shaken to the core. So much that, against his will, his body moved over and put his hand on her back, awkwardly rubbing it up and down her spine. Sakura shifted and slid off the swing, sitting next to Sasuke on the sand, wrapping her arms around her knees. She felt that body next to her shift and—thinking that he was moving away for personal space—was surprised when she found herself leaning against him, her head against his shoulder, the hand still rubbing her back. The young girl was shocked by her teammate's gestures; however, she took them gratefully, relishing in the feeling of just having someone _there_ for her. Someone that didn't ask many questions.

Sasuke, on the other hand, felt almost torn. He was never one to comfort others—he usually left that up to Sakura. But now she was the one being comforted—and Naruto wasn't here, and she probably wouldn't accept anything from her brother.

So that left him.

He didn't know if he wanted to be there, but he wasn't so insensitive to just ignore a girl when she was crying as if someone had died. So he had moved down and tried his best. Just this once, he was going to swallow his pride and just try and help her along in these next few moments. He wasn't sure what she had seen in that book, but it had gotten her this upset, meaning that whatever it was, it must have been pretty bad. He had never seen her this weak before.

It wasn't until the sun was setting that Sakura straightened a bit, rubbing at her eyes as Sasuke put a little space in between them. When Sasuke looked at her, her face was bathed in the orange light of the sunset, her tears glistening in the remaining light of the day. Her hair was rumpled and her clothes were wrinkled. Around her eyes she was puffy, and her body looked like it would fall apart at any given moment.

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

Sakura waited a moment, trying to pull herself together enough so she could say it.

"What I saw in the book . . . was the day that I would die," she said quietly. Sasuke glanced at her, nodding. "But . . . that's not what got me so upset." He continued to stare at her, wondering what it was.

"According to the book, I'm going to die in six years."

* * *

Riko stood in the tree, watching his sister and the Uchiha talking. He desperately wanted to ask her what it was that had disturbed her, but he knew that she wouldn't open up that much to him for a long time. Years, probably. But he believed that even if it took ten, twenty, a hundred years, she would one day come around and start trusting him again. And maybe start to talk to him too, just like they used to. But the only thing that mattered was that she wasn't crying anymore. He jumped away from his perch and headed back to her apartment.

Whatever it was, she seemed like she was okay now. He didn't have anything to worry about.

* * *

**And there is the twist.**

**I may have mentioned this, but I am starting yet another story. (Plot bunnies will be the death of me.) It is a Harry Potter story about Lily. And trust me, there is nothing like this one on FF. Because I've looked, just to make sure. :] I you're a fan let me know and I may post it sooner than planned!**

**~fdty**


	25. The Breakdown

"_Please don't walk away; please tell me you'll stay." Red Jumpsuit Apparatus_

* * *

Ten minutes later, Sakura was lying on her back in the grass, Sasuke sitting next to her. The stars were out in the black sky of the night. There was faint music in the background; someone was obviously throwing a huge party somewhere in the village.

Sakura felt as if a part of her was ripped out of her body. There was no way she could die so soon. Yes, six years seemed like a long time, but to her, it almost felt as if it were right around the corner. She had her plans and dreams for the future.

Now she felt cheated, because in her mind, she didn't have much of a future.

"It might be a mistake, you know."

She looked over at the boy next to her. He wasn't looking at her. "Yeah, how?"

"The book has important dates of the future. The future is never set in stone. You could end up living to be a hundred. It isn't up to that stupid book; it's up to you."

Sakura sat up slowly. She thought about what he said. She wanted to believe him so badly. She wanted to know that she was going to grow old and have her own family and see the world.

"Just don't think about it much."

Sakura smiled slightly. She found it strange that she was feeling better from the advice of a boy that would always put her down, would never talk to her. "Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

The walk back to her apartment was slow. Both were quick to realize that the loud party music was coming from Sakura's neighbors across the street. But when they entered Sakura's home and closed the door, the sound of the party was cut off as if it wasn't even happening. Riko strolled into the room from the kitchen, his hands covered in soapy water, a dish towel in his hand. He gave Sakura a careful smile. "Hey, sis. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied.

"Do you . . . want to talk about it?" Sakura shook her head slightly; another lie. However, her older brother still looked uneasy. "Has anything . . . strange happened lately? I mean, stranger that usual?" Sakura gave him an odd look. The older boy looked at Sasuke. "Kid, I think it's best you go home now." Sakura caught the look he was sending him and nodded, heading back out the door. Again, Sakura could hear the pounding music, but then nothing once the door closed again. Riko saw her questioning gaze. "The jutsu I used; I thought the noise would bother you later."

Sakura walked into the kitchen after her brother to see that he was cleaning the place up. "I could have done that you know," she mumbled.

"Yeah, but you've gone through a lot lately; I just thought I'd take a small loud off of your shoulders." Sakura watched as he finished up. He left the room for a moment before coming back with one of the books from the underground library. Sakura cringed seeing it—she hoped it was nothing like the other one from earlier. "I was reading this while you were out in the park. There's some stuff in here about people that can communicate with the dead. Apparently there are several different types of communicators—like how Natalia was a necromancer, and how there are psychics and stuff. Well, it says in here that each type has a different kind of . . . power. Necromancers can raise the dead, for example."

"So what can I do?"

"Well . . . I'm not really sure what you are, considering this isn't something you were born with; it just sort of happened when you nearly died."

"Yeah. And it seems to have changed after that mission I was on last year," she said slowly. At the curios glance Riko gave her, she elaborated. "When I was younger, it was mostly just seeing and hearing the ghosts. But now, it's like I can feel them, too. Not physically, but whenever I'm around them, it's like this inner chill that seems to just come with them, and then I'm drained afterwards." She paused. "I'm pretty sure that isn't normal, considering the type of 'normal' my life is at the moment."

"Normal is relative," Riko mumbled.

Sakura thought for a few minutes on everything that had happened in the past year. There wasn't anything that seemed strange—to her, that is. She started 'feeling ghosts', but she supposed that fact wasn't too much to think over. Naruto and Sasuke came to accept her abilities, but that had nothing to do with what she really was. She was drained whenever she was around spirits, but she didn't know what to think about that. "Tell me more about you 'manipulating the dead'," he said.

"When I was helping to two women, when the ghost was trying to get someone's attention in the crowd, in my mind I was demanding that she just look at me and follow me. She looked like she was in a trance and slowly turned to face me, like she knew I would be there."

"Are there any other times you can think of?"

"Well, there was this one time . . ." Riko gave her a questioning look. "Not too long after that mission last year, maybe a few months later, there was this incident. I was out training in the forest when this ghost showed up. His body was all messed up, like he had been physically tortured or something. He kept harassing me about how I would never be a good ninja; I told him to go swallow his tongue. Then he started choking and yelling something, but I couldn't understand him. He just kept grabbing at his throat and sticking his hand down his mouth." Her eyes widened. "Riko, do you think . . ?"

"That he was actually swallowing his tongue?" he finished. He shrugged, but looked tense

Riko sat down from his pacing and thought for a moment. There was so much about the paranormal that he didn't know, and much more he didn't want to know. But if Sakura was involved with such things, whether by her choice or not, then he should be involved, too.

Right?

"I think I can do more than manipulate the dead—their spirits, I mean."

Huh. Well, at least he didn't have to say anything.

"Riko, are you even listening?"

"Of course I am! What kind of a brother would I be if I wasn't?"

"The kind that abandons his family without reason and goes off with an accused-murderer."

'_Well. I walked right into that one . . .'_ "But we don't know if that's what you can really do," he said, verbally ignoring her comment. "I'm not saying we should go out and find a ghost to experiment on,  
but . . ."

"We should go out and find a ghost to experiment on," she finished, chills running down her back. "Riko, I can't do that! I can't just use someone like that, even if they're dead! Don't you think they'd be able to feel, too? And it's wrong—I won't do it!"

"Sakura, just—"

"No! There's too much to think about! I mean, I don't even know how it works and if it's safe and what if it has negative effects on me and _why me, Riko_?" Her eyes started to fill as she looked at him, the true broken soul of a child seeping through the hardened exterior his sister had made around herself. He could see her inner turmoil over everything that was suddenly happening in her life. Her voice came down to a shaking whisper. "The book gave important dates of my life. The final date is my death." Riko seemed to stop breathing as he looked into her eyes, tears beginning to make their way down her cheeks. "I'm going to die in six years."

Riko felt his body move on its own accord as her gathered her in his arms before she fell to the floor. He slowly knelt down, scooting back to lean against the wall as he held her while she sobbed into his shoulder. His vision seemed to waver until he couldn't focus on anything, and any kind of sound besides Sakura's crying wouldn't register in his mind. He couldn't physically feel anything besides the young girl in his arms. The only thing he tasted was the bitter taste of his own tears as they ran down his own face.

Slowly, shakily, he rested his cheek atop Sakura's head and closed his eyes, just holding her. He could feel himself breaking inside, something he hadn't felt since leaving the village, except this was much worse, with the dreaded sense of a type of finality that could only be associated with losing a precious something forever.

"I won't let it happen," he whispered. He held on to her tighter. "I don't give a damn what some stupid book says—I won't let it happen." Sakura sniffled and turned her head slightly on his shoulder.

"It's been right so far. About everything."

"Well not anymore." He took her face in his hands, keeping his palms firmly against her cheeks to make her look at him, so she could know he was sincere. "I am going to protect you," he said slowly, to make sure that she understood. "I don't care what it takes, but I won't let anything bad happen to you anymore. You, Sakura, will live a long and fulfilling life full of love and happiness. You will grow old with a good man with lots of children and grandchildren and _you will not die in six years_."

Sakura laid her head back on her brother's shoulder. He was promising to stay. She wanted so desperately for him to stay with her and not leave her again. She was so tired of being alone. She wanted her brother to stay and fix everything. To keep away the monsters and demons that haunted her every waking and sleeping moment. She wanted him to make things better again. To take care of her, so she could be okay again.

More than anything, she wanted to be okay.

* * *

It was just after midnight. Riko knew he needed sleep, but he also knew that any dreams he may have would only haunt him. Not only that, but if he were to slip into the world of the unconscious, than what would happen to Sakura? Maybe nothing, maybe something. But no matter what he thought may happen he knew that the only thing he would allow was him sitting and watching over her while she slept.

Her bedroom window opened slightly, just enough to let in the figure that had opened it. Riko barely glanced over at Itachi before turning his attention back to his slumbering sister.

"We have to get going."

The Haruno male barely responded. He knew what his teammate was telling him.

"You can't stay."

"I know, but I have to. I need to do what's best for her."

Itachi sighed. "Then you need to leave. If you stay here, you will be here in secret. You will never be able to properly provide for her, like paying bills or buying groceries—where will the money come from and how will you go out to get things? You will have to be cautious at all time. And she will have to lie. You, a wanted rogue, will be here, and she will have to lie to almost everyone about it to make sure that you are not taken away. And once the lies start, they only become a web that she may never be able to get out of. It's a life that would be too constricting for someone as young as she is. Is that really what you want for her?"

Itachi watched as Riko carefully thought over what he said. They both knew he was right. But Itachi wasn't too sure why he was stopping Riko—after all, those two were family, and family needed to stick together through the tough times. But he also knew what it was like to be caught up in a life full of lies, being the one to tell the lies; it was difficult. And maybe he was just a good person, or maybe it was because he didn't want to see some kid suffering in the same type of situation he went through when he was younger, but he knew he had to do something about what Riko was doing. Plus, he knew his friend; the man didn't like being cooped up in a small place for too long. He enjoyed traveling and having a sense of freedom; he would go insane trying to stay here, and Riko didn't even realize that at this point.

"Then what do I do? How do I protect her?" he asked quietly. "I have to protect her."

"We'll figure it out. But right now we have to leave. Wake her up, say goodbye. Be at the gate in ten minutes."

Once Itachi left, Riko ran his fingers over his exhausted face. How was he supposed to tell Sakura he was leaving, after promising that he was going to stay? He was so tired of disappointing her, of never being there for her. More than anything he wanted to be a part of his sister's life, to be someone that she could rely on. How was he supposed to do that if he was never around?

"You're wasting time, you know."

Riko glanced over, surprise evident in his eyes. Sakura lay there, her eyes still hazy from sleep—but her focus was so sharp. "How long have you been awake?" he asked slowly. Sakura shifted, putting her arm under her pillow.

"Long enough to know that you won't be here tomorrow." Riko opened his mouth to say something, but Sakura wouldn't have it. Her voice thick, she said, "It's not like I don't get it, okay? I know how these things work—you can't stay, it's too dangerous. And the guy's right: we'll see each other soon enough." She smiled softly, trying to reassure him. "I'll be okay, Riko. I've got my teammates to help me if I need it. Everything will be alright." She moved slightly to hug him around the shoulders, holding him there for a moment. After a minute he stood, but not before he gave her a kiss on the forehead, just like their mother used to do.

"Be safe Sakura," he said quietly. As he was about to leave, he turned around. "Don't get into any trouble; don't accept candy from strangers, or talk to them for that matter; don't drink alcohol, or do drugs—especially hookahs because those things are fucking disgusting, and just because a boy tells you you're pretty—because you are—that doesn't make it okay to—"

"Okay! I'll be a good girl."

Riko threw his hands up. "I'm just covering all the bases, okay? You never know!" He smiled after a moment. "See ya, kiddo."

Sakura gave a tight smile back. "I'll see you soon."

However, the next time they saw each other, the circumstances would be less than pleasant.


	26. An Interlude's Montage

"_Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it."  
-Montaigne_

* * *

For a long while, everyone questioned Sakura's mental health.

The morning after Riko left, she was quiet, barely talking. In the weeks that followed, she was a mere shell of her former shelf. The light in her eyes had disappeared, the corners of her mouth constantly tilted down; her physical health wasn't much better. Sakura's weight had decreased and she became weak, barely keeping up with her two male teammates, who were steadily improving their own skills. After the reports of a few C-rank missions, it was made clear to the Hokage that something was seriously wrong. She called to young girl to a private meeting.

"You need to become healthier and take care of yourself, or I will be pulling you off of Team 7," she'd said. Sakura had said nothing, not even protesting to the threat, or attempting to reassure Tsunade that everything was okay; there was no need to worry. She'd stared at the older woman momentarily, stood up, and then walked out. She knew, as she shuffled home, that she should probably care. But she didn't. Sakura was not concerned that she didn't care about anything.

There was nothing left to fight for; all of the dreams she had once dreamt had been forcibly shattered by the final page in one book. Not only had her visions of the future been permanently changed, but there was also the presence that shook her, especially at night. When she was out during team training, or visiting Ino, she barely noticed. At those moments, it was like a little itch in the back of her mind that could be easily ignored, eventually forgotten. It was time when she was completely alone that it manifested from that small tickle in her conscious to a hard chill in her bones. Every night when she walked over the threshold into her apartment, it was as if she had stepped into the haunted house by herself at the amusement park, knowing that something was watching. At first she managed to ignore whatever it was. But when she started feeling things, think dangerous thoughts, Sakura knew that this was not ghost or angry spirit. This was much deeper. It wasn't as if she had no idea what was going on—Sakura was fully aware. No one could say that she didn't try, though, to take back control of her own body that one night when she was too weak to fight. It was like being a prisoner on her own body: she could see, hear, and feel everything, but she had no say in what happened. Sakura was trapped. One of the things she would never forget that day was the look on Naruto's and Sasuke's face when they walked into the living room to see her holding a gun to her temple. Had it not been for Sasuke's incredible speed, her perfectly white walls would have had a new decoration, forever stained.

In any case, the demonic presence was gone. It was also that day when the two boys decided to take matters into their own hands. Every morning, five A.M, Naruto would go to her apartment, wake her up, give her a light breakfast, and take her off to morning training. Their routine consisted of ten laps around the village walls, then further work with stamina and strength. Later in the morning the rest of the team would arrive, and then team training would begin. Around 1 the boys would take Sakura to lunch, choosing a place with plenty of meat, fruit, and carbs to put weight on her stick figure. Then, Naruto would part, leaving the rest of the afternoon and early evening for Sasuke to train Sakura, using his own methods. He worked with her on Taijutsu, speed, stealth, ninjutsu, and basically everything Naruto seemed to lack. He had been tough from day one, constantly pushing her to the limit, until she felt as if she physically couldn't move. At six every night, he would walk her home, make sure she ate, then leave, but not before talking to her for a short while. Under the boys' orders, Sakura was in bed by eight for a healthy nine hours; every night she took a pill containing the hormone of melatonin to put her into a restful sleep. Then she would wake up, and the daily routine would start all over again.

To make sure that her nights were undisturbed, Naruto and Sasuke found and hired a well-known priest to bless Sakura's apartment while she was training one morning; Sasuke was there to make sure that the man did not harm Sakura's old friend Benny, whom later gave Sasuke a sign to indicate he was still there.

By the time July rolled around, their female teammate had, physically, fully recovered, though she was still slightly underweight. Emotionally and mentally, though, was a different story. She still seemed to be empty of passion and life. Whenever someone was talking to her, she always seemed to lose focus on the conversation, her mind going elsewhere. She was less social, politely refusing Ino's offers to visit the flower shop one afternoon. Sakura no longer had the energy to fake a smile or put on a mask to fool the people around her. For all Naruto and Sasuke knew, she was upset. Unfortunately, it was much worse than that—there was so much more she felt she had to hide. She could never tell them about the nightmares she had every week; she feared going to sleep, feared the new vision she would see of her death, of how her life would end. It was always different: painful, quickly, slowly, every once and a while peacefully. But then came the feeling of helplessness, because what could she do? She was going to die young, and nothing could be done.

However, there was one moment every day, that it was okay. That one small minute when she was tuck in oblivion; her death wasn't creping upon her, there was nothing to struggle for, no faces of worry, no questions of if she was feeling better. It was when she woke up every morning, the rays of the rising sun lightly hitting her face, the lovely silence. it only lasted a minute, one glorious minute.

And then it was over, and she remembered.

It was a cold morning when Sakura woke up, for the first time in a while, in an empty apartment. She found this strange: there was no mop of blonde hair, no loud boisterous noises, no one encouraging her to start her day, saying it would be better than before. For a slight moment she wondered about that. And then she didn't, and just got up. She noticed that she had woken up at the same time she had been these past few months, all on her own. Quietly, she moved towards the bathroom, having the sudden urge to take a quick hot shower. As she began to get stuff ready, she noticed that her favorite shampoo was missing—the pink-bottled one, that was scented with a mix of raspberry and vanilla. Instead, there was the basic formula that was found in most drug stores. A little bothered, she went ahead with the change in routine. The hot water and rising steam was almost relaxing, soothing aching muscles from the previous day's vigorous training.

It wasn't long until Sakura was out of the bathroom, hair dripping around her shoulders. She continued to towel-dry it as she made her way to the kitchen. She stopped, however, when she noticed that her apartment was no longer empty. To her surprise, he stood there over her stove, getting ready to start cooking—some form of eggs, from the carton on the counter. "What are you doing here?" Sakura questioned, still staring at him.

Sasuke ignored her as he cracked eggs over a small bowl, mixing milk in with them before pouring them onto the skillet. As he watched the eggs fry, he side-glanced her.

"Naruto got called to the Hokage early this morning," he stated. "Something involving Jiryiah." Sakura seemed to accept that answer, for she just walked forward and sat down at the small table. "Scrambled or sunny-side up?" he asked monotonously. Sakura thought for a moment, asking for the first option. "Good because that's what you'd get anyway." Sakura gave a little laugh, remembering an old mission. Kakashi had been gone, and Sasuke had been the first one to get up at the small inn they had stayed at on the way back. She and Naruto discovered that week that Sasuke knew very little cooking. She sighed lightly, looking out the window. As her mind started shifting gears, she suddenly thought of something.

"Sasuke, do you know what happens next week?" she asked, something bubbling up inside her; it felt weird. By the look on his face, Sasuke knew what she was talking about. "So what do you want for your birthday?"

Ah, yes. Sakura was now positive that he was cringing at the thought of his birthday. He placed a plate of eggs in front of her with a glass of orange juice, half glaring at her. "We are not celebrating my birthday, Sakura." The corners of Sakura's mouth turned up slightly as she thought of how Naruto would get around that.

Light conversation ensued for the rest of the hour until Naruto burst through the door, giving Sakura a bear hug, and shouting that they were finally going on a mission outside of the village. Somehow, Naruto already had the scroll containing the mission details. They were to deliver an artifact to an ally nation in the Land of Waves, having two weeks to do so. They were to leave in two hours.

Not long after the announcement Sasuke had left to pack the things needed for the mission. Naruto, having already packed, stayed to help Sakura. "This is awesome! We get to go on a real mission! Isn't this great, Sakura?" He turned toward her, a goofy grin on his face. Nodding absent-mindedly, Sakura continued assembling her mission pack. "It's been so long since we've been outside the village walls. I'm so excited!"

It really had been a while, too. Though it was left unsaid, it was clear to the entire team that the main reason they were finally permitted to take on challenging missions was due to the fact that Sakura's physical health had improved; Tsunade must have decided that the girl was able to handle such tasks now. Looking into the small pack, Sakura mentally checked off of a list the things she had and needed. There were her weapons—kunai, shuriken, senbon—a few explosives, scrolls, basic healing ointments; there was an extra set of cloths, a hair tie, and travel-sized toothpaste. It was a simple delivery mission—granted, it was in another country, and the scroll was for a feudal lord—so there was little chance they'd run into any ninja above Jounin if they were careful enough. However, Sakura was well aware of how simple missions could easily turn into A-ranked missions; she wasn't taking any chances.

Once finished, she noticed Naruto giving her a strange look, no longer hyper and excited. "Will you be alright, Sakura?"

The girl was taken by how serious and concerned he was. She placed her pack over her shoulders, staring him straight into the eye. "You and Sasuke have helped me so much these past few months. Not only with the training and keeping me healthy, but even just being there for me has meant so much." She walked over, hugging him lightly. "Thank you so much, Naruto." When she pulled back, Naruto had the same goofy grin on his face, a new light in his eyes. With his pack on as well, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the house and down the street, yelling about how "this would be the best mission ever!"

Sakura could only smile in response.

A week later, Sakura wondered why it was all going so smoothly. Even their D-ranked missions were never this simple; and this was C-ranked. So far, they had encountered no enemy or rouge ninja. The skies had even cleared for the entire time they were traveling to deliver the scroll.

Sakura's stomach twisted out of the tight knots it had been in since they had departed from the village gates. At first, she had believed she couldn't handle the mission after being inactive for so long. At that point, Sakura was sure that she was going to be fine. I can do this, she thought with a growing smile, hope building in her heart.

Looking ahead of her, Sakura gazed at her teammates—_her boys_. As per usual, they were bickering on something as pointless as the weather. While Naruto had his fingers interlocked behind his head, laughing with obvious mirth, Sasuke gave a half-hearted glare back, his mouth set into an irritated frown. She didn't know when, or how, but one day, Sakura knew that she was going to give back to those two as much as they had given her in her worst time. Unconditionally, she loved them both with her whole heart.

* * *

"Guys, I'm hungry!"

Sasuke snorted, rolling his eyes. Sakura came up to them; they were coming up to a small town for travelers—there should be a restaurant that met the likes of all three of them. Soon enough, they came upon a grille and decided to venture in; they were quickly seated in a small corner booth. The inside of the restaurant was set up to give the impression that every table could have a sense of privacy; there were several translucent walls everywhere between tables with dim lighting. The walls were covered in a soft material that absorbed the sound of conversation, leaving the room quieter than what one would expect walking in.

Before long the group of three was enjoying their meals, conversing lightly about trivial matters—it was silently agreed to not speak of mission details in places where an enemy could lurk.

It was during a debate between Naruto and Sakura when Sasuke suddenly tensed, almost unnoticed. As fast as it happened, he relaxed again, but his mind was no longer on the conversation next to him. Instead, the Uchiha concentrated on the chakra signature at the booth across the room, trying to prove to himself that it wasn't who he thought it was. But of course, he was wrong. She was here—but why? He sneaked a glance at his teammate—did Sakura notice? By the way she looked at Naruto, her brows raised at something he said, Sasuke guessed that she didn't. Sasuke's mind ran at a mile a minute, thinking of what to say to get his teammates out of the restaurant; he didn't want another run-in with her. Unbidden memories of the last encounter flashed through his mind, along with an echo of the horror he felt at seeing one of his precious people lying at the bottom of a cliff, of feeling for her pulse and finding nothing. Stealing a glance, Sasuke checked to make sure _she_ hadn't noticed _them_; as he turned back towards his friends, an excuse to leave ready on his lips, he finally noticed that they had stopped talking minutes ago. While Naruto simply looked inquiring, Sakura's down-turned mouth told him that she was also well-aware of who was in the vicinity.

It was hard to forget the chakra signature of the person who once killed you.

"I'll be back." And before either of them could stop her, Sakura stood, heading over to the other side of the restaurant, straight towards the exact person Sasuke wanted her to _stay away from!_

Standing, Sakura waited for the older woman to look up. When she did, Sakura braced herself for an attack, a shout of hateful words that made no sense, a glare, even—

—she received a blank look. After a moment, the eyes focused, a cold stare cut into Sakura's heart, the chill spreading, momentarily numbing her mind. "I want to talk to you," she said quietly.

Eyes narrowed. "_Go away."_ Sakura gathered whatever courage she had left and sat down in the seat across from the not-so-strange stranger.

"Over a year ago, you tried to kill me." She paused. "I don't know you, but you know me. And you _hate_ me, and I don't know why." Sakura watched the 30-something woman carefully, waiting for a repeat of the previous time they met. When she reminded Sakura that she would gladly take the opportunity to kill her again, Sakura nearly cringed. "Not now, you wouldn't. We're in a public place, not only with shinobi that may be stronger than you, but with plenty of witnesses. You would be imprisoned on the spot. You won't try anything." Although Sakura couldn't be too sure of that herself.

The stranger eyed Sakura's teammates—sitting at their own booth, ready to jump in at the first sign of danger. She looked back at the girl—the _child_—sitting in front of her, demanding an explanation. Well, fine. "I hate you. I hate your face, who you are, and I hate the fact that you are even alive. You should be dead—you should have died over eleven years ago. Yes, child, I know all about that surgery you went through—you were having severe heart conditions, life-threatening, even. I know all about you. You were rushed to the hospital when you were three or so—I remember when they brought you in. Obviously you were sick, and you were sure going to die." She stopped, taking a breath. Now, she thought, she would explain to this undeserving child what has brought on this hatred she harbors. In the strange light, she thought the girl in front of her looked hard, due to the shadows that were cast over her sharp bone structure—she almost forgot that this girl _was_ still a little girl. "That very same day, my daughter—_my baby_—was in the hospital as well. She had been having trouble breathing the past week, which just happened to be due to the fact that she had accidentally swallowed one of her toys—unfortunately, it happens. The doctors told me that she would be in and out quickly, not to worry. And then you came. You, with your health problems, with your brother that was screaming at the surgeons to save you or else, with your mother that everyone loved. Of course you had the sympathy card, having lived in Konoha your whole short life, when we had just moved in not even a month ago. During your surgery, something had gone terribly wrong—at the same time that my baby's surgery was undergoing similar complications." Her eyes turned glassy, still showing her anger and dark emotions. "Sometimes, it seems, god can only save so many children. And he chose _you_ over _Jane_. He chose a girl whose medical conditions would end her life in only a matter of years over _my_ child, who would love much longer, do much greater things—_he chose you to live._" Those hateful eyes stared straight into Sakura's, revealing all of the hurt and suffering. "So yes, _I hate you_. You cheated death once, and now you're back because you've done it again. _Why you?" _

Sakura sat back, her spine erect, mind numb from the harsh tale. She understood now. In a twisted way, Sakura's life was chosen over someone else's, whether intentional or not, and this woman in front of her was pissed and hurt, because she lost her daughter—her healthy daughter who had promise—to a sick child. By killing Sakura before, it would have been like revenge for stealing the chances of someone else.

"What do you want me to say?" she whispered, looking down at the grooves in the wooden table. "That I'm sorry? I mean, I am, but . . . to say I'm sorry would mean that I would reverse what's happened and try to make up for it. And I don't know how to do that. I know a lot of things, but I don't know how to ease the pain of death and loss—if I did, I could make a lot of people I know much happier," she mumbled, thinking of her boys. "Anything I say to you will not make you hate me les—I know that already. But, I'll say this: I'm going to keep living. I don't want to die. And I have no control over that—no one does, I don't think. Killing me, though, it won't bring her back. All it will do is get a lot of shinobi angry with you." Sakura stood. "So, I'm sorry that she isn't here. But I'm not sorry that I didn't die, because then that would be a lie, and you don't deserve fake words."

She left before anything else could have been said to her.

It took a moment before Naruto and Sasuke came after her, having paid the bill while she was listening to the woman—after all this, she never learned her name. . .

"Sakura, wait up!" Naruto ran in front of her, stopping her from going anywhere; the three of them now stood off to the side of the crowded street. "What happened—what did she say to you, are you alright, did she—?"

Sakura shook her head, quieting him down a moment so she could answer one of his many questions. By this time Sasuke was standing beside Naruto, hands in his pockets, face deceptively blank. "There isn't much to say—it's not my story to tell, either ("But Sakura!"); but she blames me for something that happened—I think she'll always hate me for it, even though it wasn't my fault." The boys watched as her eyes became downcast, a tinge of guilt hidden in them. Naruto came forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, whatever it is, just forget about it, okay? If it wasn't your fault, then it doesn't matter anymore, right?" Sakura shrugged. The blonde's face turned serious then, his eyes stern. "She doesn't even know you. She doesn't know that you're a great person, or that you have people that love you—so don't worry about it anymore."

They stood there for a moment before Sasuke grunted. "The dobe's right."

Sakura rolled her eyes at his brilliance with words. This was why she loved them, she realized again. Taking their hands (with Naruto grinning and Sasuke complaining) she pulled them forward. "I think we have a mission to accomplish, you guys. If we finish early, I'm treating us to dinner or something like that!"

With that promise, Naruto cheering and Sasuke smirking, they marched forward, unaware of the great change about to take place in all of their lives.

* * *

**Over the past two months, I've lost a lot of passion for the arts all together. I wanted to stop playing the string bass in orchestra, I was sick of singing, most books bored me to death, I didn't care for my photography, and I had given up on writing. I'm not sure why this has happened, but reading back over this chapter really made me want to post it and get back into what I love. Even if a little slowly.**

**For an update, I have nine classes this year in school. I am working (finally). I am involved in the musical (Wizard of Oz). Our choir concert is this week (we get to sing "The Ballad Of Sweeney Todd"). And I turn 17 Friday.**

**Review, if you wish.**


	27. An Ambush

"_Never completely encircle your enemy. Leave him some escape, for he will fight even more desperately if trapped."  
-Alex Haley_

* * *

"Hahaha! I told you guys this would be easy! Piece of cake!" Naruto strutted ahead of them before jumping up to the thick branches as they started their trek back to the Hidden Leaf Village. They jumped through the trees, the wind rushing against their faces as the sun shone brightly upon their backs. They were all in high spirits, each one eager to return home. It just so happened that Naruto was the first the express these good feelings. "Hey, Sakura, how'd we do?" Naruto shouted from her left. Sakura thought for a moment, mentally thinking of the current date. After a second she smiled at Naruto.

"You're limited to three bowls at Ichiraku when we get back, Naruto—that's it!" she warned, watching as her friend's grin widened considerably.

"HELL YEAH!"

And with that, Sasuke and Sakura had to increase their speed to keep up with their hyperactive teammate.

After a few hours (and a lecture to Naruto about the importance of staying with your teammates) the group was setting up a small camp to rest at for the night; if all went according to plan, they would arrive at the village just after noon the next day. And even though they had already set up a schedule of who would be taking watch and when, Naruto still crashed on his sleeping mat before the other two could get one word out to him. They both eyed the boy, his obnoxious snoring filling the silence. Sasuke and Sakura sat on their own mats in front of the dwindling fire, both blocking out Naruto's noises in order to listen to their surroundings. The sun set quickly, the night once again littered with stars with no competition with the lights of a city. There was a calmness to the night that had Sakura relaxing back into her mat; Sasuke, a foot or so away, sat straight, his eyes roaming the area. "Are you taking the first shift, then, Sasuke?" she asked, her voice thick with on-coming sleep.

"Aa."

After a few minutes, Sakura slipped into sleep. She didn't notice the rigidness in Sasuke's body.

Her eyes shot open. Heart racing, Sakura forced her body to remain absolutely still, surveying her surroundings. All was quiet—it seemed unnatural, all of a sudden. Beside her, Naruto still slept, just as quiet as the night. And Sasuke—

Sakura shot up, eyes frantically searching the small area for her absent teammate. His stuff was where he left it, but he was nowhere to be seen. She was about to call out for him when she felt it again—the same chakra signature that woke her up. It was well hidden, barely there—but her chakra abilities were said to be beyond exceptional. Whoever it was, they were powerful, and dark.

Sakura leaned over to wake up the blonde only to see his eyes staring back at her, wide awake. For a moment she was confused, until she realized that he had never snored since she woke—he'd been awake the entire time. "Where's Sasuke?" he whispered, eyes narrowing at the feeling of danger approaching.

"I don't know—he's gone."

"Do you think he noticed—or something happened to him and _we_ never noticed?" he asked quietly as he sat up slowly, hand inching towards his kunai pouch. Sakura didn't answer—she knew this mission was going too smoothly. Her eyes scanned the surroundings once more. She tried her best not to let her gaze linger too long on the lone pair of eyes watching them from twenty-some feet away. They way the moonlight shone off of them was eerie and not something Sakura wanted around her. She tilted her head towards Naruto slightly.

"There's someone watching us," she said under breath, lips barely moving. Naruto nodded, the movement almost unperceivable—he was well aware. He then stood, weapon in both hands; Sakura copied his movements.

"Alright you coward, come out so I can see you!" the blonde shouted, his voice echoing through the thick trees. They both felt the presence shift slightly, slowly circling around them before disappearing altogether. Without a word, Naruto took off after it. It took Sakura a moment to realize that she was all alone in the forest, with at least one enemy in the area; it didn't take her long to make the decision to go after Naruto. The only problem was that he'd moved so quickly that she didn't even see what direction he'd gone in. And she still had no idea where Sasuke was.

While sprinting off, Sakura tried in vain to search for Naruto's distinct chakra signature; it was there—everywhere—but she couldn't pinpoint it. She didn't want to start yelling for them in fear of attracting unwanted attention to herself. Before long, the forest was too dense to move through at the speed she was going at; and with it being so dark, she could barely see ten feet in front of her. Why did they both have to disappear? Why couldn't she pay more attention? Why did she let Sasuke take the first shift? Too many questions swirled around in Sakura's head, no answers to be given. And it wasn't helping that she was starting to pick up on whispers of people who weren't physically there.

She wondered how the spirits always picked the _best_ times to want something from her.

She continued forward, shoving her hands over her ears to try and block it all out, so she could just think and focus on the situation at hand. She didn't care about what they were saying, and they all just needed to _go away—_

Sakura stopped, the new silence deafening. She straightened; they were gone—for now, but they were gone. Cool air rushed into her lungs; she didn't give a second thought about where they had gone, just the fact that she had made them leave. Now she could think—

"_Sasuke!_"

That was Naruto! Sprinting now, not caring about the branches scratching her face, Sakura followed his voice. "Naruto! Where are you!" she called out—screw the enemy, she just wanted her teammates!

She saw Naruto's hunched form, poised to attack; she ran up to him. Then she smelled it: blood. As she came closer, she noticed he was standing . . . . over . . .

"What happened to Sasuke?" She fell to her knees, trying to assess the damage. She needed light, she needed to see, damnit! She dug around her pouch for a flashlight. The blonde's body shook, head whipping back and forth for the stranger they knew was still lurking around, waiting for the moment to strike.

"I don't know, but I'm going to kill whoever did it!" he growled, eyes taking on a demonic shade of ruby-red, the pupils elongating. Sakura worried for Naruto's sanity sometimes—especially when it concerned the wellbeing of the people he cared about. This was one of those times.

"Naruto, we can't stay here, we need to leave—find a village or something so we can help Sasuke, we have to—"

She never got the chance to finish as they were suddenly surrounded by five rouge ninja—Sakura just had a feeling that they were all above Chuunin level. In the next second, one had Naruto pinned to a tree, his hands held away from each other to prevent him from performing any jutsu. Sakura felt thick arms wrap around her middle, pinning her own arms to her sides as she was yanked away from her bleeding and wounded teammate. She thrashed against the captor, kicking and screaming with everything she was worth as another knelt over Sasuke, a long katana high above his head, glinting menacingly in the moonlight. Sakura screamed as the blade was brought down. It came down to his chest, piercing the skin—

The blade was stopped by a pair of hands, connected to the body under it. Forcing his body to move, Sasuke kicked the attacker away from his, flipping the sword around so that he was the one who wielded it. He could feel blood seeping into his shirt, staining it even more than the wound on his abdomen. Sharingan shining brightly, he went for the nearest ninja, impaling him in the chest. Sakura and Naruto watched as Sasuke made a mad dash around the trees to them, his feet stumbling slightly. He nearly managed to get to Naruto first when he was stopped by a fierce pain. Looking down, he saw the tip of a blade sticking out of his stomach, watching with an odd feeling as it was yanked back out from the other side.

"_No! Sasuke, NO!" _

She watched in horror as Sasuke's body fell forwards, landing on the ground with a dull _thud_. Two more ninja went to Naruto, knocking him out before the Kyuubi could reveal itself through its container, leaving Sakura to be the last one standing. She glared at the man walking towards her, bringing up to same knife used to impale her teammate to be angled towards her chest. She started to shake uncontrollably—whether from rage or fear, she didn't know. She struggled against the arms constricting her, starting to feel hopeless in her efforts.

Behind a tree straight across from her, outside this small gathering of shinobi, there was a new pair of eyes. By the red hatred fired within them, and the tomoes spinning madly around the pupil, it didn't take Sakura long to figure out who it was. And if he was here, than that only meant—

A body sprang out from above her, coming down on the shinobi that held her in place. Once Sakura was free ran forward towards Sasuke, only to find that Itachi was already there, trying to reverse the damage. By the time she got to them, he was trying to stop the blood flow with a section of his cloak he had ripped off. "What the hell happened here?" he demanded, not looking up from his brother.

"I—I don't know—they came out of nowhere, and—it so sudden—Sasuke, is he—?"

"He'll be fine; you two go help Riko and Naruto!" They looked up to see Tiashi, already forming chakra around her hands, starting heal the worst of the wounds on the boy's body. She gave her boyfriend a hard glare. "Itachi these guys are too strong—they need to be taken care of!" she barked out. In a flash the elder Uchiha was gone. In the next instant Sakura could hear bodies falling to the ground, and several footsteps coming over to them. Riko pulled out a flashlight; almost all of them suppressed gasps.

Sakura never knew that one body could hold so much blood.

Naruto gulped. "That's . . . I'm gonna be sick—"

"Not over here, you aren't!" Riko growled, dragging to boy by the collar of his jacket. From a short distance, Sakura could hear Naruto emptying his stomach of whatever he had stored in the past twenty-four hours. She couldn't blame him; not only was the amount of blood shocking, but Sasuke's skin had taken on a horrible pale color, that she wondered if he was going to be okay.

_Pleasedon'tdiepleasedon'tdiepleasedon'tdie—_

"We need to get somewhere safe, now," Tiashi said, still healing the wounds. By this time, she'd managed to clot the blood flow; now it was only a matter of stimulating the cell growth so that new skin could cover the open wounds. Sakura stared at the pale face, obviously in excruciating pain. She head Riko mumble something before suddenly everyone was somehow physically touching someone else. There was a jerking feeling; the world was black for a total of a few seconds, before they were roughly placed inside a small room with wooden floors and concrete walls. A light was suddenly surrounding them. Before she knew it, Riko was pulling her out of the room and into a hallway.

"Its okay, Sakura—everything's going to be alright, I promise."

The last thing she saw before her brother knocked her out was forms of Itachi and Tiashi hunching over an immobile Sasuke, Naruto being dragged out as well.

* * *

**Dude. Don't start working yet. Your boss will be a meanie and the government takes your money.**

**JKJKJKJK**

**But still, enjoy life while you still have one...**


	28. The Truth

"_People live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true. That's how they define "reality". But what does it mean to be "correct" or "true"? Merely vague concepts … their "reality" may all be a mirage. Can we consider them to simply be living in their own world, shaped by their beliefs?_"  
_~Itachi Uchiha, directly from the manga_

* * *

When she woke up, she was in a different room, this one much more inviting than the one they had arrived in. The walls were covered with a creamy white wallpaper dusted with specks of silver, all dulled by age and time. In fact, nearly the entire room was of a form or white or beige: the bed covers, the closet doors, the wooden dresser. Whatever was a different color stuck out, such as the black curtains, or the cluster of Barbie's in a toy box in the far corner. It was obviously the room of a little girl, though whose room Sakura didn't know.

Sakura lay under the sheets, her mind refusing to tell her body to move due to the mental exhaustion from the fight. Sakura listened for sounds throughout the . . . place she was in. Everything was quiet, just like after she had wished for the ghosts earlier to go away, and they had. It had been so strange—that they had actually done what they were told. She knew she could manipulate spirits, but how much did that ability include?

Before Sakura could think more on the discovery, she heard a set of footsteps coming from outside the door. Sitting up slowly, she watched as the door opened, Riko walking in. His face was carefully blank, revealing nothing to her. The fact she couldn't read him worried Sakura more than anything else. "What happened? Is Sasuke okay?" she asked, her voice shaking. Riko stared at her for a moment before walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"There are other things to worry about, Sakura," he said quietly.

Sakura grew angry. "No! He's my teammate, I need to know that he wasn't hurt too badly, and that he'll be okay!" she shouted, starting to become irrational. The male scooted closer, taking her hands and squeezing them. Sakura quieted, waiting for his response, for anything. The look on his face now, with downcast eyes, caused Sakura to assume the worst. "No . . . no, please, Riko, no—!"

"He's . . . fine. Sasuke's fine." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Tiashi was able to heal him. He should be awake soon, actually. But you can't see him," he said when Sakura tried to get up. "Itachi has to talk to him, Sakura."

Sakura was about to ask him about why, but by the look on her brother's face, Sakura felt that she already knew.

Suddenly, she didn't think she could be around Sasuke when he learned the truth from the man he hated the most.

* * *

Sasuke kept still, glaring hatefully at the man sitting across from him on the other side of the room. Had it not been for the extreme pain preventing him from moving, Sasuke would have shot forward and shoved a Chidori through his _"brother's_" chest, right through the spot where a person's heart should be, where Itachi had nothing. And the bastard wasn't even _looking at him!_ He just sat there, with his eyes closed, arms crossed, as if this was okay, normal.

Sasuke wanted to strangle him _so badly_, his fingers were twitching.

"_Why did you save me?"_

Of course he knew that he was alive right then and there because of his brother—Tiashi had told him when he demanded to know what had happened. But at this moment, even Sasuke knew that his question was not referring to last night—or even any time recently. And by the way Itachi tensed up, he knew it as well.

"I have my reasons, Sasuke."

"_WHAT REASONS COULD YOU POSSIBLY HAVE FOR MURDERING THEM?"_ he screamed. If there were any other sounds in the house, they were immediately silenced. "You don't even have the courage to look me in the eye and admit your sins. I _hate_ you. You're a sick fuck, and _I hate you_!"

"I didn't want to do it."

Sasuke's mind whirled, taking in the sudden and quiet words as his body shook with built up rage. He felt like laughing. "You liar! You wanted to test your power—that's what you told me!" he shouted, his voice shaking. He could feel his throat starting to go soar from all of the screaming and shouting.

"I lied to you that night." Itachi stood slowly, sitting in a chair six feet away from the bed Sasuke was in. Thankfully, Tiashi had drugged Sasuke enough that he was lucid, but couldn't make much use of his own body. "It was not to test my power."

Sasuke's face darkened, the look in his eyes almost making Itachi regret his decision to do this. Almost. "I don't want to listen to your lies," he growled, his fists clenching the bed sheets. Itachi leaned forward, his elbows pressing into his knees as he rested his chin on his interlocked fingers, breathing slowly through his nose. _In, out. In, out. In, out—_

And so it begins.

The shift of the mood was so palpable that through his intense raging emotions even Sasuke noticed it. The atmosphere had turned serious, grave. "I want you to listen to me right now, Sasuke." Sasuke remembered only one time Itachi had ever used that tone with him: it was to tell him that their father had gone on a dangerous mission, and that there was a chance he may not return.

"What game are you playing at?" he demanded, hating how his voice shook.

Itachi went on as if Sasuke had never spoken. "At the very beginning, the village was created by two men—the soon-to-be first Hokage, and Madara Uchiha. There was a rivalry between the two, a hatred between the two powerful clans."

From there, Itachi went on with the history lecture, telling Sasuke about how Madara wanted the Uchiha's to take over the village, to rule it, and how they refused, eventually shunning him. He explained how Madara had abandoned the clan, going as far as hating them and wanting revenge. This was a story that Sasuke already knew—he had read and reread the clan's scrolls after the massacre. "Sasuke, what do you know about the attack of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon?" he asked suddenly. Sasuke remained silent, still glaring at Itachi, hating the entire situation, just wanting this man away from him. "You were only a newborn when it happened—mother was out for the night and I was watching you. It was late into the evening, dark out." He paused, his eyes hazing over with repressed memories. "There was a dark feeling in the air, and a minute later there was a massive explosion. A person could see the beast from any point in the village. I didn't go see the battle that was going on—I had witnessed war a year before that, and I feared it. It was known by the village leaders that the Kyuubi could only be controlled by the Mangekyou Sharingan; due to this knowledge, the Uchiha clan was blamed for the attack. In actuality, Madara was behind the attack, though it was publicly stated as an act of nature. The clan was placed into a segregated district near the edge of the village so they could be monitored." He paused a moment, trying to calm himself for the second part of the story, the hard part. "Father become . . . hostile towards the hokage and elders. He began planning a rebellion within the clan to take over the village and restore the Uchiha power."

Sasuke scoffed, disbelieving. His father was honorable—he would never do such a thing!

"By that time I was a member of ANBU. I had deep connections with the roots of the village, directly with the Third Hokage himself. Because of this, the clan chose me to gather information and relay it back to the clan."

Sasuke stilled. _'A spy . . .?'_ No, it wasn't possible.

"I knew from the very beginning that Father's plans would start a civil war in the village. I didn't agree with it. I immediately told the Hokage of what was being planned. I began relaying the clan's information to him, spying on them."

Sasuke glared at Itachi, hating him even more for betraying the family.

"I warned Father that the plans needed to end, that it would end badly. He refused to listen. Everything was about the clan. A month after you started the Academy, I was taken into a meeting with the Hokage, the Elder Council members, and Danzo. In a majority ruling against the Hokage and me, I was given the orders to assassinate the Uchiha Clan."

Sasuke's mind froze, everything in him going numb. _'It was . . . a mission?'_ No, there was no way . . . he would have known! Somehow, someone would have known of this—the village wouldn't have allowed such a thing to happen—

"They told me to leave afterwards, take the blame, and become a criminal. They hid everything from the village. They wanted no connection to any of it."

'_Lies . . . he has to be lying . . .'_

"I failed that mission."

'_What?'_

"I couldn't kill everyone—I couldn't kill you, Sasuke. I . . .—"

To Sasuke's shock and horror, Itachi doubled over, and broke. His hands gripped his head as his shoulders shook, silent sobs ripping through his body. He took shuddering breaths to calm himself. Sasuke watched his brother slowly lean back up, acting as if nothing had happened. The redness around his eyes betrayed him. "Get out," he whispered, his voice hoarse. He turned away, forcing himself to forget the entire conversation before he started to think about it.

"Sasuke—"

"Get. _Out._" Sasuke heard the chair scrape slightly as Itachi stood. The footsteps faded down the hall once the door was shut softly, and Itachi left. Sasuke was alone.

The kitchen remained silent, even after the screaming stopped. Everyone sat, waiting for something to happen to signal that it was over, so they could try and move forward. While the brothers were in the room, time seemed to stand still, as if everything that happened afterwards was affected by this moment.

In a way, that was true.

When they heard a door open and close, seeing Itachi come down the stairs a moment later, Tiashi stood, going over to him. Sakura, Riko, and Naruto watched as the two conversed silently before Itachi quickly walked around her, going outside into the pouring rain. She stood there a moment before going after him. They only caught her facial expression for a moment, but it was enough to see the worry on her features. Without warning, Riko stood, his chair falling backward to the floor as he stormed up the stairs and down the hall. Once Sakura and Naruto were over their sudden shock, they raced after him, managing to get to him just moments before he slammed the door open to the room Sasuke was in.

"Riko, stop!" Sakura shouted. By that point it was pointless; he was already at Sasuke, landing a hard punch to his jaw.

"What did you say?" he ordered. Sasuke sat back up, rubbing the oncoming bruise. He glared at the older man.

"Are you in on this, too? Did he put you up to this?" he seethed. Riko leaned forward, getting in his face.

"Do you have any idea of the hell your brother put himself through? Do you think any of that was _easy_ for him?" He pulled Sasuke up by the collar of his shirt, pinning him to the wall.

"Riko, enough!"

"I was there—I saw him die more inside each day. He saved the entire village, you brat! He saved thousands of lives that would have died for something as stupid and pathetic as clan pride! And you—you, with your hatred, and your thick head—"

"He betrayed our family! He sold them out! Killed them—!"

"They did it to themselves! Your Father had his chance to stop everything, to think about what was really going to happen, but he was the fool, not Itachi." He stood back. "Itachi loved his family, but he loved the village more. He gave up everything for Konoha, to keep the peace within those walls. To keep you alive."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I don't _fucking_ care."

In five seconds flat, Riko had Sasuke outside behind the house. They were completely drenched by the time the other two made it outside. Even with his sister screaming at him to stop, Riko landed a punch to Sasuke's stomach, sending him flying back. Blood sprayed out of Sasuke's mouth, the pain of the attack intensified by the recently-healed wounds. He could hardly move as Riko landed more hits on him—his jaw, face, stomach, a kick in the back.

It went on. Sasuke's back hit a tree; he was sure he was about to pass out from the pain, and was readying himself for another hit from Riko, but it never came. He squinted through the rain, watching as Itachi landed hits to Riko, and soon the two were rolling in the mud, hitting and punching each other, angry words spewing out of their mouths.

"I told you to stay out of it!" Itachi growled, wiping the blood from his chin.

"He's an ungrateful brat! He doesn't deserve everything you've done for him!" The older Uchiha's eyes blazed as both men raced forward. They each had their fists raised, chakra racing through their bodies, ready to vent out pointless and misdirected anger through a fight. Riko aimed for the head, Itachi for the stomach. They were so close—

"_THAT'S ENOUGH!_"

Both men skidded out of their paths to avoid the third body in the mix. Sakura stood, facing Riko, arms spread wide, a determined look on her face. "Sakura, are you insane? I could have hit you!" Riko shouted.

"Are YOU insane? Sasuke was just recently beaten and impaled with a katana, and you're hurting him!" she screamed. "You're being irrational—"

"Sakura—"

"JUST STOP! You always do this—if you don't like something, you just punch it!" Sakura bit her tongue against everything else she wanted to say and ran over to Sasuke, who was currently leaning against a tree, whipping the blood from his face. She put her hand on his arm, steadying him. "Sasuke, I'm so sorry—"

"He's . . . he didn't mean to . . . He's innocent . . ."

Sakura was about to tell him that, no, Riko was not innocent, what he did was stupid and wrong, and that—

"Itachi's innocent . . ."

Sakura froze, carefully watching Sasuke's face, a chill forming in her stomach. "Sasuke . . . ?" Said boy slumped down until he was sitting, leaning forward onto his knees, hands running through his hair. Sakura knelt by him; after a second he started to shake, pulling at his hair, doubling over even more. Without thinking, Sakura moved forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Don't _touch_ me, Sakura—"

"Just shut up, okay?"

He struggled against her for almost a minute, shouting thing that he would never say to one of his precious people. It didn't take long for him to slump against his teammate, his forehead pressed against her shoulder. "It was a mission . . . my family . . ."

Sakura just held him tighter, slightly turning his face away from the others, still holding onto the idea that she had to protect her boys, even though they were always protecting her. She could feel Naruto coming closer to them, kneeling beside the two, silently giving his support and comfort. The other three sense that their presence wasn't needed, so they—as in, Tiashi forcing the other two—quickly went back into the house.

It took a while, but eventually Sasuke straightened, his bangs hiding his eyes. Team 7 sat in a small circle, saying nothing. Around them, the storm continued, the rain beating down upon them, drenching the three completely. "I don't know about you guys," Naruto began, his voice cracking, "but I think I'm ready to go home."

His friends nodded in agreement.

* * *

"You can't leave yet!"

"Tiashi—"

"Okay, his wounds are fresh, and you all need to rest up and—"

Sakura shook her head at the woman's antics; she was almost used to it. They had evaded Tiashi long enough when they were silently collecting their belongings to leave. And now Sakura, along with Naruto and Sasuke, stood in the front yard with their gear on their backs, about to head back to the village. The rain was starting to let up, the storm moving south; thankfully they were headed east. Tiashi stood out with them, Riko leaning against the porch railing, watching silently. They had been ready to leave, but the woman before them now was not allowing it, being too concerned for Sasuke's health and whatnot.

"—if his wounds open up and he starts bleeding out again, what are you going to do? You're all too young! You don't know medical jutsu or how to properly wrap bandages or—"

"Tiashi, they'll be fine."

From the house, Itachi came out with items in his hands. Without warning he tossed said items to the group of Gennin. Antiseptic, gauze, and other basic medical supplies flew into their hands; Tiashi sputtered. "You can't just—I mean, they—Itachi!" she scolded.

"They graduated from the Academy, Tiashi. They'll be fine." He glanced at each of them quickly. "Besides: they've faced much worse things than this." He stood there for a moment; with a final look at his brother, he sauntered back towards the large house, waving his hand lazily in a goodbye. He had almost passed Riko when Sasuke spoke aloud:

"I'm going to kill them." When Itachi froze, slowly turned to stare at his only family left, Sasuke continued his bold statement. "The council members. I'm going to kill them for making you . . . for ordering the elimination of our clan."

Itachi stared blankly at Sasuke, who didn't even have the nerve to look at him, even though everyone knew that it was Itachi the younger boy was addressing. Itachi was not surprised to see hatred boiling in Sasuke's eyes—the same feelings he'd had for years, simply directed towards someone else. He nearly scolded his brother for thinking he could accomplish such a thing—that is, until he remembered that he himself had told the boy to make it a goal to kill him, and had said this to a seven year old.

Walking back down the yard, Itachi made a hand motion to have everyone gather together. He quickly did another chakra scan of the surrounding area, not wanting to be overheard. "Sasuke." The boy turned, facing his older brother, his face now just as blank, except for his eyes, which revealed a bit too much for Itachi's liking. "You will not make any rash decisions. You will not tell anyone the truth of our clan, and you _will not_," he emphasized, "attempt to kill the council members or Danzo to avenge our family." Before anyone could say anything else, he said, "I have a plan—the past two days have changed nothing," he said, mainly to his own teammates. "To the rest of the world, these days never happened—when you returned, you will inform the Hokage that you ran into bandits on the road back, which would explain being late. As far as anyone else is concerned, Sasuke, I am still a criminal, a murderer; your only goal is to kill me and avenge the family." It was a few moments before Sasuke gave a noncommittal grunt. Itachi's eyes narrowed considerably, and Sasuke voiced his agreement to the man's demands.

"If anything goes wrong, or if you need anything, just call," Riko said out loud, though everyone knew that it was mainly meant for his sister. She gave him a half-smile and a nod. Sakura was still upset over the fact that he had attacked one of her friends, but she knew she couldn't be petty about everything else because of it.

After more fussing from Tiashi, and her own boys telling her to let the kids leave, Team 7 took off towards the village, minds changed, old feelings forgotten, and new ones taking place.

* * *

**Procrastinatoin? I think yes.**

**So...review please? So I know where everyone else is with this?**


	29. Coming Home

_"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it."_

_-George Moore_

_It wasn't long after that particular mission that Team 7 eventually went their separate ways. They each had different ideas on what direction their own skills should develop towards, and found new teachers to help them accomplish those goals. _

_Naruto grew to enjoy the presence of Master Jiryiah, finding him slightly strange, but wanting to learn more jutsu after previously accomplishing the Rasengan in three months. Not only that, but secretly, the Sannin Ninja felt that Naruto needed a Sensei that could show him how to control the energy of the Nine-Tailed fox demon. With a sense of excitement, the knuckle-head ninja departed to train under Jiryiah for two and a half years—but not before all of Rookie Nine and Team Gai throwing him a small 'going-away' party, Hinata nearly fainting when he hugged her goodbye._

_Sasuke, now knowing the truth, grew colder than ever before, sometimes barely hiding such feelings whenever he was in the presence of the council members. Thankfully, that was not often, and Sakura was usually able to calm him down, though it took a long while. At first, the boy would just glare at anyone that tried talking to him; this became especially true once Naruto left, and Sakura immediately felt useless. However, Sakura eventually got through to him, even if he barely helped at times. But one night, he visited Sakura, and only asked to borrow her phone. Sakura, being the brains of the team, instantly knew what was going to happen. She said nothing as Sasuke used to phone to call Riko so he could speak to Itachi. It was a long conversation; when it was over, Sakura couldn't help but showing what she was feeling. "You're leaving." He nodded once; for some reason, he couldn't look at her. "I can't be here—_he's_ here. I'm going to train with Itachi for a little while." Sakura quickly hugged him—to his surprise—before he left her apartment. The next morning, he was gone from the village, and Sakura was alone. _

_It took Sakura three days to decide that she wasn't going to spend the next few years doing nothing. She had barged into Tsunade's office one early morning—albeit, uninvited—and demanded that the woman teach her medical nin-jutsu. Tsunade had glared at her, saying she only took students that were respectful, which Sakura proved that she was not. Glaring back, Sakura said that she had perfect chakra control, an outstanding memory, and the will to learn, proving that she would be an excellent student. When asked for her reasons for such a demand, Sakura hesitated, and then said: "My teammates are off training for the next couple of years. I don't want to be left behind anymore—I want to be their equals." And while there was plenty of truth in that statement, it was not her main reason. In actuality, it was the fear of the dead that Sakura wanted to play a part in preventing people from dying. She had long ago reasoned that if she could save lives, she might see less spirits—and hopefully none that she knew before their death._

_Throughout those years that seemed to drag on forever, Sakura received no contact from her two teammates, except for one time, about six months through that period. A letter was received from Itachi Uchiha, addressed to Tsunade, in the explanation of the Uchiha Massacre, and that it was to be kept a secret. When Sakura was privately questioned about this, she could come up with not logical idea as to why Itachi would reveal the truth after saying before that no one else should know—though she suspected it had something to do with Sasuke telling him to do so. _

_It was a long two and a half years, and Sakura was glad that they were almost over . . .  
_

* * *

When Sakura woke up one morning to the sun glaring into her eyes through her windows, she had the unexplainable urge to just _not get up._ But then she remembered that if she was late, Tsunade would make training hell, and then give her extra hours at the hospital—and not pay her.

Sometimes Sakura questioned her sanity for training under such a woman.

Rolling out of bed, she noticed the piece of paper taped to the outside of her window. Retrieving it, Sakura read it through; just another note from Lee about her being a "youthful flower, and how she should spread her seed of youth to him through a youthful date."

There were so many things wrong with that statement that Sakura couldn't even begin to explain it to herself.

Ten minutes later Sakura was sitting at her kitchen table with toast and fruit juice, her hair still wet from the quick shower. She had training first this morning, so she wore her black biker-shorts—which were over seven inches above her knees—with loose gray short-shorts over that, just in case some of the creepers happened to be sneaking a peek again. However, she did wear a couple of thin camisoles—white and red—because they were easy to move in, and made her feel sexy. Which she liked every now and then; especially when on mornings like this, the many male Chuunin that were just a year or two older than her would be training nearby. She sometime went on dates; the attention was nice, compared to how boys used to tease her in her younger days.

Due to the fact that Sakura's new place was closer to the center of the village, it didn't take her long to walk to the Hokage Tower. Her new apartment was a bit larger than the previous one. Over the years Sakura had acquired several more medical supplies, scrolls, books, and other small things that quickly made her decide to move into a larger space. Luckily, with her missions and hospital hours, she was able to pay for the new place; she refused to touch any of them money from her parents or from selling the house. Now, she walked through the large red doors, taking the stairs that would lead her to Tsunade's office. Opening the door once there, she rolled her eyes at seeing her teacher asleep on the desk.

"Lady Tsunade, I have bad news," Sakura said solemnly.

"Minphhtler . . ."

"All alcoholic beverages are no longer being produced."

"_WHAT?!_"

Sakura burst out in hysterical laughing at the look of sheer horror on Tsunade's face. When the older woman realized it was a lie, she sank back into her chair, too relieved to really get angry at her student. However, she did manage a decent scowl. "Sakura, that was highly inappropriate," she scolded.

"Yeah. But it was funny, wasn't it?" The pink-haired teen easily dodged the scroll thrown at her, still giggling. "Anyway, I'm here for training. When are we leaving?"

Tsunade sighed, rubbing at her forehead. "We won't be training this morning. An important shinobi is coming into the village today and I have to speak with him," she said with disdain. Sakura frowned at her tone, asking what the issue was with that. Tsunade became disgruntled. "Technically, he's not supposed to be here. If people find out he's come into the village, and that I'm meeting with him, there's bound to be chaos." Sakura nodded, not pushing the topic more. The fact that Tsunade had revealed that much information to her was risky; but they had complete trust in one another, which was more than what Sakura could say for the Hokage's relationship with the Council members. Sakura almost felt special with how much more information she received than those old blokes.

"So, in other words, I have the day off?" Sakura asked, hope filling her voice. Tsunade smiled.

"Well, I'd say so."

The girl grinned as she quickly left the building, thankful that she had the entire day to herself.

* * *

"You're sure this is safe? Someone could see through your Gen-jutsu."

"No one will know it is me. Everything will be perfectly fine, Sasuke."

The pair of brothers walked at an easy pace through the village gates, both giving a nod of greeting towards the guards. The men watching the village gates suspected nothing amiss, though they did give Sasuke's traveling partner a strange look. Itachi's disguises were always perfected due to his excellent chakra control. Plus, no one had ever seen through his gen-jutsu so easily before, so he was sure he would be fine. Sasuke just tended to worry a bit too much, even if he rarely showed it. Itachi's disguise made him appear to be an elderly man with white hair, a scraggily beard, wrinkled skin; he was hunched over, using a cane. His only recognizable trait would be his eyes, even if they now appeared beady. When he had first transformed into his temporary appearance, his brother had to force back a laugh: to go from a powerful man in his early twenties to a frail-looking elder was somehow hysterical. Now the only thing left was to act the part. So when Itachi saw Sasuke giving him a weird look—probably still not used to seeing his brother like he was—he took his cane and swiftly whacked the teen on the head.

"Don't you know not to stare, boy? Show some respect to your elders!" he scolded in the voice that all older people seemed to posses, mumbling about 'stupid young hoodlums these days' and such.

_Now_ Sasuke understood why no one ever caught Itachi when he was under disguise.

Bringing the walking-aid back to the ground and shuffling along, Itachi changed to subject of conversation. "Now, I want you to be made aware of a few things, Sasuke. It's been awhile since you've been here; things have changed—people have changed. And you're probably going to be a little surprised by how certain people have changed. Now, I'm sure Hatake never talked to you three about what to do when you notice these . . . _changes,"_ he said. "But when you see a girl, and she looks—"

"There is no way in hell you are giving me the sex talk." Sasuke ducked as the end of the cane was once again aimed for his head.

"Pay attention, boy!" Oh, yes, Itachi was thoroughly enjoying this. "Now, you should be respectful—so don't stare at the products too long, even if you aren't buying anything." Itachi looked around for a moment before spotting someone, getting an idea in his head. "Like over there, that young girl," he said, pointing over to someone examining the items at a street vender.

Sasuke lazily looked over to who "Itachi" was pointing at: and he stared.

Sakura had definitely changed, that was the first thing he noticed. She was no longer the thirteen-year-old girl from his Gennin days. Now, from what he could see from her choice of attire, her body had matured into something that any man could find irresistible: long slender legs, a lean body, full curves. The top she wore revealed a decent amount of cleavage, but covered enough that she didn't appear to be asking for too much attention, and showed her flat stomach. Sakura had grown her hair out again, which now seemed to have a soft, natural curl to it. Her skin was pale, but looked normal and healthy—which Sasuke appreciated, for he was never a fan of super-tanned woman. She started to smile at whoever she was speaking with—

_WHACK!_

"I told you not to stare, boy!"

* * *

"Miss Sakura, may I inform you of something?" the older woman asked her hesitantly. Sakura nodded while looking at the fruits on the stand. "There is a very attractive young man on your right that is staring right at you," she whispered. Sakura looked at her strangely before glancing over to her right.

At first the only thing she could see in the crowd of people was the old man hitting a boy her age over the head with a walking cane. She was about to dismiss them when the boy straightened, and indeed was looking . . . at . . .—

Sakura slowly put down what she was holding, not taking her eyes off of Sasuke. In the back of her mind, her Inner-Sakura was drooling over his new physic—Sakura couldn't help but check him out. Through his shirt she could see that he was more muscular than when he left, and Sakura had to wonder how tall he was—at least a head taller than her. Sasuke had also grown out of his cute, boyish features. Now, with his angular face and body of a man, she could not deny that he was downright sexy—especially with that smirk of his currently adorning his lips. Sakura took a glance into his eyes; they were the same bottomless onyx, but there was something about them that made her wonder. Somehow, they had changed in his time away. When he looked at her, Sakura knew it: they weren't as cold and heartless. True, he still held up his guard, but they were softer, in a way.

Sakura didn't even realize she was moving until she saw him start to move also.

It wasn't the slow-motion, heartfelt and emotionally epic running towards each other, the world blocked out, only them, gazing soulfully into each others' eyes type of moment. Because he was Sasuke, she was Sakura, and that just never happened in reality. Rather, the sounds and shouts around them of the busy and crowded street filled their ears, all blurring together into one garbled noise, no clarity. They walked calmly towards another, as if this was a normal thing and nothing had really changed. They moved around people, keeping their gazes on the other. Memories began to spring up in their minds of everything from before Sasuke had left, from missions to lunches at Ichiraku with Team 7, to the darker times down underground. They clearly remembered the times one had been there to support the other, all of the pain and struggles they'd endured as a team and as individuals.

Once she was close enough, without a word or greeting, Sakura wrapped her arms securely around Sasuke's torso, burying her face into his shoulder. She had nearly expected Sasuke to tense and get awkward and annoyed by it, like before; she was pleasantly surprised when he almost instantly hugged her back, his arms going around her shoulders. Sakura closed her eyes tightly, trying to burn the rare moment into her mind.

"Welcome home, Sasuke," she whispered. She felt him take a breath to respond when she felt something against her stomach—

"You kids these days, too sappy for your own good!"

Sakura pulled away and stared at the small, old man who was currently poking her in the stomach with his walking cane. She was about to ask Sasuke why this old man was with him, but she took a second, closer look. The look he was giving her, like he was hiding secrets that she would never know, that he was okay with just about anything, the look of authority in his eyes—

_His eyes!_

Sakura nearly fell over. There was no way—

"Sir, I have to ask, do you like weasels?" she asked calmly. Sasuke threw her a sharp and shocked look, then glaring at the "elderly man" before them.

"I thought no one would be able to tell!" he hissed, staring quickly at others on the street. Sakura watched as the disguised Itachi sighed, shaking his head, keeping up with the act.

"Ah, just like your old brother, always seeing underneath everything. Good for you." Now he looked at Sasuke. "I'll be off now, so don't do anything stupid, you little fool." After that, he began to walk off before stopping. He turned slowly and just stood there a moment. Before either teen could ask anything, he quickly jabbed Sasuke in the forehead with the end of the cane, which resulted in a shout from Sasuke, and a cackling laugh from Itachi. To anyone else that may have been watching, it just looked like a crazy old man giving Sasuke a hard time for no reason at all.

Sakura had to give Itachi credit for being so out of character. If she wasn't slightly concerned for the bruise already on his forehead, she would have laughed. She put her hand up onto the spot where Itachi hit him. "Sakura, what are you—"

"Relax, I'm done," she said. Sasuke brought his hand up, feeling for the bruise; there was none. He stared at her for a moment.

"You know medical jutsu." Sakura nodded as she started walking to the training fields, Sasuke keeping pace next to her. She began to tell him everything that had gone on in his absence. She started with the medical training, and the long hours of studying and working at the hospital, going up to a Chunnin rank ("So, you know, I kind of outrank you at the moment." ". . . Shut up."), and then about Tsunade giving her a different kind of training. When Sasuke questioned what that was, she grinned, saying, "You find out soon enough," and looking extremely excited about it. The longer they walked, Sasuke started to notice more and more men eyeing Sakura, several greeting her on the street. He vaguely wondered how many of them she'd dated—surely more than just a couple. As he watched her, he saw her smiling at everyone, but there was something about her eyes that made his chest ache. He finally asked about it once they were alone in a large field.

"What's wrong?" he asked, the question sounding like a statement. Sakura raised a brow, making him continue. "You keep smiling and faking happy, but something's bothering you. I can tell."

Sakura grew quiet for a moment before shaking her head. "Just a bit tired, is all. I'm really glad you're back, Sasuke," she said, smiling softly. He wanted to ask more about what was really bothering her, but decided against it for the moment, nodding back at her as they eased into a comfortable silence.

He was glad to be home.

* * *

**No, do not ask why I haven't posted anything in 363 days. I will never know myself. I'm going back through stuff I have typed but have not yet posted and making small edits, and I shall slowly get back into the swing of this.**

**...oh gosh all the manga chapters I have to catch up on...a friend spoiled it for me about a certain death. GAH.**

**Happy Holidays.**

**-fdty**


	30. The Letter

"_Death is simple and easy—life is harder."  
~ Bella Swan, __Twilight_

* * *

"You know, eventually you'll have to go to Tsunade—sign papers saying you're back and whatnot."

"Hn."

"You should do that before she begins to wonder things."

"Uh-huh."

Sakura shook her head at her teammate. Honestly, when was he ever this lazy? It was so unlike him! "I'd really rather you not get on Tsunade's bad side so soon, Sasuke." She stood, grabbing his arm and pulling him up with her. "Now, let's go. Please?" He stared at her for a moment. Then, stuffing his hands into his pockets, he started off towards the Hokage Tower, Sakura now keeping pace with him. "Now, when you see her, just be respectful—" she glanced at Sasuke, "—okay, _pretend_ to be respectful. You can manage that." Sakura continued down the mental list of things he needed to do to make sure Tsunade didn't try to kill him—the woman seemed to have a shorter temper than usual as of late. By the time they reached their destination, she was nearing the end of the list when she saw a hunched over figure coming out of the large double doors that lead to Tsunade's office. "Itachi" smirked at the two briefly.

"There's a surprise for the two of you waiting inside," he said. Without a warning, he quickly made hand signs and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the two teens confused. Sakura cast a worried glance at Sasuke before slowly opening the doors. The first thing her and Sasuke saw was the back of a black and orange jumpsuit, then the mop of messy blonde hair.

"Naruto!"

The blonde turned at the voice. Upon seeing his two best friends, he grinned and caught Sakura as she ran at him with a bear hug. She pulled back and smiled, her eyes twinkling—_her boys were home!_ "So, Naruto, do I look more womanly now?" she asked, twisting her body around, grinning. The boy in front of her laughed.

"You haven't changed a bit, Sakura!" he said.

Sakura froze, glaring. The others in the room sighed. Jiryiah shook his head as he watched his student get punched in the head by the pink-haired teen. The scene was so familiar, it nearly scared him. She had definitely trained under his former teammate.

It took a few minutes, but Tsunade had finally managed to calm down the three in front of her enough to make them stand silently in front of her desk. She looked over the reunited team, almost amazed at how much they'd all grown. She cleared her throat, getting back to business. "Now that you are all together again, you have a mission."

"Yes!"

"Quiet, Naruto! Anyway, since Sasuke and Naruto are still Gennin, this is only a C-rank mission." Naruto turned swiftly.

"Sakura, you're not Gennin anymore?!" he exclaimed. The girl grinned, knowing what was coming next from her teacher.

"Therefore," Tsunade continued, "Sakura will be leading this mission." Sasuke and Naruto frowned.

"Wait a second," Naruto interrupted. "Where's Kakashi-sensei? Isn't he coming, too?"

"Kakashi is on a mission of his own at the moment," Tsunade stated. She leaned forward, interlocking her fingers. "This will be a relatively simple mission. You are to travel to Rice Country and investigate the area around the Feudal Lord's manor; there have been signs of danger, and he is requesting assistance."

"If we find anyone with malicious intentions towards him, ma'am?" Sakura asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Elimination," was the sharp reply. "Dismissed!"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Sakura was sitting on the edge of her couch, staring darkly at the letter from the Council members and Danzo. It had been delivered by a member of ROOT no more than five minutes after she had arrived at her apartment to pack for the mission. To her shock and eventually horror, this was what she read:

_Dear Miss Sakura Haruno,_

_It has come to our attention that you have an unusual skill unknown to the population. By our understanding, you have the ability to communicate with the dead. Not only that, but we are also aware that you can control their actions, as well. This is an extraordinary talent that we would like for you to use secretly on missions. On many occasions, if an enemy shinobi knows he is trapped and there is no escape, they will commit suicide to prevent information from being tortured out of them. However, since you can connect to those particular shinobi, you will be interrogating information out of them. Due to the fact that they have nothing to be threatened with, you will resort to torturing them. This is not a request: this is an order. Failure to comply with these secret missions will result in you being completely stripped of your Shinobi Status and your chakra permanently sealed off. Below is a list of names of the deceased enemy ninja you are to gather information from. Report the information back to us through a ROOT member the day you return._

The letter had not been signed; their names had been on the front of the envelope. Sakura had no idea what to make of it; a million questions were racing through her mind. How did they know about any of this? Surely the ones she trusted with such a secret did not tell—they all held some sort of great dislike towards the council and Danzo. How would they know if Sakura did or did not follow their orders? Sakura immediately forced her mind away from that question. Somehow, she knew, they always knew. What she didn't know was how they would convince Tsunade to revoke Sakura of her Shinobi status. In fact, if she was correct, such an action normally was not an informal decision from a single person. In most cases, the Shinobi in question was put on trial and presented in front of the full council, which consisted of around fifteen people. The elders, despite popular belief, did not hold much political power anymore.

The power they did possess, however, was the power of persuasion.

Now, sitting on her couch, her eyes could have burned a hole through the flimsy piece of paper as if that could have made its existence disappear instantly, saving her from this new problem in her life. However, even she knew that such a wish was impossible. She thought about going to Tsunade about it, but then remembered that the woman did not know of Sakura's secret. She was a realist and did not believe in things she could not see; she would try to have Sakura medicated for some kind of mental disease. And there was nothing that Sasuke or Naruto could do about it—they just got back, and Sakura didn't want them getting involved with these people. Especially Sasuke.

She wasn't ready to resume contact with her brother yet. Despite his promise to always be there for her, she was still bitter with him. And he was rogue: he'd be killed on the spot if he walked into the village.

"Tough situation, cupcake." Sakura glanced over her shoulder to see Benny reading over her letter. Despite being a man in his sixties, he still dressed as if he were a "young chap" in the twenties. It was almost comical, but it fit his young personality. "Have you ever purposely hurt a spirit before?" he asked lightly. It was times like this that Sakura had to wonder about his sanity: he knew of the things she was capable of, and yet he still stuck around. She shook her head slowly. "So what're you going to do?"

Sakura shrugged lightly. "I don't want to do it . . . but to not be a ninja anymore, loose everything I've worked for?" Sakura's mind felt as if it were about to burst. Suddenly Benny was sitting in front of her on the small table.

"Just do it, cupcake." She stared at him, eyes wide. "I know you ain't one for hurting people unless they deserve it, that you don't like watching people in serious pain. But sometimes you gotta make a sacrifice, and your entire life and career is on the line here, kid. Think of it this way: they are the enemy, and this is your duty as a ninja. Just, it's a little different than what your comrades are doing."

What he said almost made sense to Sakura. Yes, it was her duty as a Shinobi of the Leaf Village to fight and protect the living members, to defend its honor and name. It is a fact they must live by, something they learned their first day at the academy. Many of the current ninja used torture methods for missions, especially the Interrogation Unit. It was a fact of the Shinobi life. Still, Sakura couldn't shake the gut instinct that what she was being ordered to do was wrong and unnecessary. What was the point in hurting those who had moved into the afterlife? She felt that information was not a good enough reason to disturb those at rest. But looking at the friendly face before her, she didn't have the heart to argue with someone who had always tried to help her.

Sakura tried for a smile. "Benny, I wish I could hug you." He grinned.

"A hug from a pretty thing like you? I'm flattered," he said.

There was a knocking at the door; Sakura got up and opened it to see Sasuke and Naruto on the other side. She stepped aside to let them in. The blonde rushed in, spinning in a few circles to get his best view of everything in a quick a time as possible. "Wow, Sakura! Your place is huge!" Naruto exclaimed, looking around. Sakura shrugged nonchalantly.

"I needed a bigger place. It's not much, really." Even she knew this was a small lie. The inside of her apartment could be considered the size of a town house; it was relatively large, considering most apartments in the village consisted of two rooms at most, both small and compact.

After a few minutes of showing them around quickly, they were ready to head out. Before following her teammates, Benny motioned her over. Once she was close enough, he leaned in close, just for added effect. "That boy—he likes you," he whispered. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Naruto? I'm pretty sure he's gotten over that—"

"Not him," he said, shaking his head. "The _other _boy. With the funny hair." Sakura's eyes widened, disbelieving. "It's something in the way he looks at you—trust me!" he said at her look. "Just wait, you'll see soon enough!" he shouted as Sakura walked out of her apartment, locking the door behind her.

* * *

Three days later, the team was surrounding the royal manor, searching for any signs of enemy ninja, communicating through small radios around their necks. So far, they had found only a couple Chunnin-level ninja, which had been quickly "eliminated": one by Naruto, the other by Sasuke. They knew that those two were the only ninja around for miles due to a chakra sweep, but continued rounds just to be on the safe side. Sakura, however, was not entirely focused on any foreign chakra signatures. During the past couple of years, she had developed a type of sense to spirits, much like how a shinobi could sense chakra. There would be a chill in the air around it, or their own energy would pull her mind into the direction they were in, and she would eventually be able to pin-point their location. The only problem was that sometimes, they were smart enough to know that she could see them before she actually looked at them, and so they would disappear.

Tonight, however, she was being extra careful to appear focused on the mission with her teammates. So when she found the presence of a ghost with a dark energy, she waited until she was "coincidentally" next to it, before whispering, "Don't move; stay where you are." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the ghost become rigid, his body totally still. Still whispering, she said, "You will answer my question with complete and total honesty and truth. What is your name?"

"Tai Shikota," he answered stiffly, against his will. Sakura nodded; this was one of the names on her list. He looked to be in his thirties. He had tan skin with dark, deep-set eyes that were careful to reveal nothing.

"Good. Follow me and don't leave."

She continued on, but found none of the others she was to look for.

After a few more minutes she called in the team, saying that they were done for the night and to return to the motel they were staying at. Once there, they sat down in the bedroom with a small dinner; the ghost stood in the corner of the room. "Tomorrow we'll inform the Feudal Lord that all immediate threats have been taken care of. He'll have to hire full-time shinobi to guard him after this if the problem and threats arise again," she informed. The boys nodded before they all headed off to bed.

Neither one suspected anything amiss.

Hours after the other two had drifted to sleep, Sakura slowly sat up. Watching Sasuke and Naruto the entire time, she stood and crept to the door, leaving without any hint of a sound, knowing that the ghost was following her, still under her control. She traveled quickly to a dense and deserted area of the forest, already knowing there was no one around. She paused under a large maple tree and turned. The ghost stood before her, rage and detestment in his dark eyes. She stared at him for a moment, thinking of what to ask. The letter never stated what information she was to collect.

"What village were you from before you died?"

He glared at her. "Hidden Grass Village," he answered snappishly. Sakura thought on that for a moment. They had been a known enemy of the Leaf ever since the Third Ninja War, usually over distribution of power and cold tensions between the leaders in general, therefore resulting between the loyal shinobi as well. For years they had been trying to infiltrate the Leaf Village to learn of the military forces and try to better themselves to eventually defeat the Leaf. So far, they had been unsuccessful.

"How long ago did you die?"

This time, however, he refused to answer. This didn't surprise Sakura. Once a ghost figured out that she had some sort of control over them, the stronger-willed ones usually found a way to get past the smaller controls Sakura possessed. Unfortunately, this was where her job became a bit more difficult. She now had to start resorting to painful measures.

She had never really done this before, but had heard enough about it from Natalia—whom she almost never saw—about how to do it. First, she needed to ghost to be looking into her eyes. After that, Sakura had to focus on him and his energy, making a connection to it with her psychic mind. After that, it was a matter of thinking of the pain that she wanted to inflict upon him to make it happen. She knew she wasn't going to like this at all. It went against so much that she lived for. Sure, this man was an enemy, but he was already dead! That alone should have been punishment enough. Apparently some people thought otherwise.

Sakura looked into his eyes, locking their gazes, internally telling him to not look away no matter what; he didn't. Carefully, she reached out with her mind, absorbing the energy that he held and feeling it. He was a dark man, several horrible deeds done throughout his life. Sakura could sense that he held no remorse, no regret for anything he had done. Even now he was imagining how he would kill her if he were still alive. Sakura could almost feel his own distinct energy flowing through her mind, but not mixing with any of her own, always separate. This was crucial; if their energies mixed, whatever he felt would be exacted on Sakura as well.

Without moving, and keeping their eyes locked, Sakura began the torture. There was an audible _crack!_ as his wrist snapped backwards. His shout of surprise mixed with a grunt of pain. She could tell he wanted to look at what had happened, but found he was unable. "How long ago did you die?" she asked again.

Breathing heavily, he replied, "Six months."

"Where?"

When he refused to answer again, she furthered the pain, the image of a kunai stabbing him in the arm crossing her mind. His growl to force back to pain was almost instantaneous. "Here! I was killed here, by _your_ ninja!" he seethed.

"I know why they killed you. So what information were you trying to get?"

"I'm not telling you," he whispered gruffly. Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly as she became irritated with his tone. It was only a moment later that the man nearly doubled over as blood seemed to run out of the fresh wound in his stomach. There was an identical one on the other side of his body.

"This can last forever. You will endure this pain until I get what I need because, as you're aware, you can't wait for death to come to you and end this. So just answer my questions and I'll let you be," she whispered. This technically wasn't true. If he were truly strong enough, he could break from her hold and switch the roles, allowing him to take control of her. But, according to Natalia, only demonic spirits could do such a thing, as Sakura had experienced once before in her life. "Now; what information were you trying to get?"

The man grunted once before grinding his teeth against the increasing pain. "I was trying to get information out of them on your village's security system for our shinobi to get inside for a full attack."

"Did you manage to pass this information on to others in your village?"

"Yes."

"When is the attack scheduled for?" she demanded. Tai glared at her even more: wrong move. Sakura, not liking what she was about to do, forced the final image into her mind.

Tai's body twisted as he screamed out in pure agony as his spine started to snap. It continued to bend and coil under Sakura's control until the man cried out again. "Three days! They will attack your village in three days!" he screamed. Sakura immediately broke the contact and watched as he fell forward, breathing heavily, even though he didn't need to. He withered on the ground. Sakura stepped forward, kneeling before him. "Get away—!"

She placed her hand over his forehead as she lifted the wall in his mind that prevented him from allowing himself to move on. He watched in amazement as the pain receded and he felt a soft warmth taking over his body. "Your time here is done," Sakura whispered before he disappeared for good, no longer earth-bound. Once his spirit was gone, the area was quiet.

Sakura fell forward onto her knees, hands rubbing at her face. The man's screams were still echoing in her ears, the pain in his voice haunting her mere minutes after he'd gone. _'And I have to do this to more spirits?'_ she wondered to herself. She wasn't sure she could handle it. Sakura had never liked witnessing people in pain. A year ago Ibiki Morino had attempted to train her in the fine art of interrogation, but gave up when they both realized that sakura simply could not stomach watching people in pain. Now she had to be the one to cause it. Shakily, she stood back up and headed back to the motel. She made sure to be just as quiet coming in as she left.

Laying down on her mat, she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks as the event of the night hit her full force. She didn't sob, knowing that it would wake her teammates—

"Sakura."

She turned over slowly to see Sasuke awake on his own mat, staring at her with alert eyes. He gazed at her for a moment.

"What's wrong?"

Sakura remained quiet for a moment. "Ghost stuff. They . . . I hear them screaming around here," she whispered quietly. He nodded after a moment. Reaching forward, he lightly brushed the tears away with his thumb, his hand staying on her cheek for a few moments longer.

"You okay?" Sakura nodded before taking his hand off her cheek and holding it between them, not letting go. He didn't pull it away.

Sakura felt like the biggest coward on the planet. But there was no way she could tell him the truth. She didn't want to know what he or Naruto would think of her if they knew.

* * *

**So I just watched the shippuden episode 182, with all the moms. Won't give too much away if you haven't seen it, but FINALLY it is revealed about Sakura's parents! Both her parents a civilians. And her mom looks mean. 'Nough said.**

**Okay, so I had to reread the more recent chapters of this to understand what I was trying to do. Needless to say, I deleted an entire chapter and am starting over from a specific point, it won't change anything already posted though.**

**As far as BLOODSHED goes, I don't know what to do with it. I know some people enjoyed it along with ROYAL BLOOD but I have no motivation with the story whatsoever. I'll leave it up for now, but I don't think I'll be continuing it. **

**Any comments? Concerns?**


	31. A Change Has Come

"_It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more."  
~ Albus Dumbledore in __Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_

* * *

Sakura's task of torturing the spirits lasted for months, having a new assignment and list for almost every mission. To Sakura's horror, she had started to use different and worse methods of torture without even realizing it. It went from snapping fingers, breaking spines, crushing the lungs and other vital organs, to eventually, on one occasion, forcing the victim to relive one of their worst nightmares. Once Sakura realized that she was doing more horrible things than she even knew, she quickly let the ghost free. Once she reported via ROOT member that she had not gathered any information due to the ghost somehow slipping out of her control; the consequences were grave.

Sakura was taken one morning from her apartment to the ROOT Headquarters. She was escorted to a room far underground. Inside was a chair in the middle of the room, a table in front of it with papers on it. Danzo also stood in the room. "Have a seat," came from behind one of the masks. It wasn't a suggestion, rather an order. As Sakura walked to the chair, she happened to glance at the papers on the table. She recognized a picture on one of the sheets: it was the headshot of one of the ghosts she had recently tortured. The moment she sat down, the interrogation began.

"Would you like to explain your last mission, Haruno?"

Sakura stared at Danzo; she remembered what Sasuke used to tell her about keeping the poker face, trying not to show how terrified she felt. "He was stronger than I initially thought. I don't know how, but he slipped from my control and escaped. I wasn't able to summon him again."

"So you came back with no information, therefore failing your mission?"

Sakura hesitated, feeling her lungs clench as she tried not to breathe. "Yes," she answered. Danzo looked at her for a moment before shuffling through the papers. He seemed to be on a single document for a period of time before giving a nod to the ROOT member behind him. "Very well," he drawled.

Because she had at least tried, they decided not to strip Sakura of her shinobi status. Sakura was grateful, until they brought in an unrecognizable man. She was immediately bound to the chair with chakra and then felt fingers wrap around different points on her head. She watched as Danzo smirked at her before leaving.

That was when the first jolt came.

It was like her mind—her soul—was being placed on the receiving end of a powerful taser. The pain lasted for a couple of seconds, but it left her feeling exhausted. It stopped for a moment, and she could feel her brain pounding; she pictured it bleeding. When the fingers removed themselves from her head, she felt grateful that it was over and that she could go home and just cry before going off to training with her team. But then she felt two giant palms placed on each side of her skull, just above her ears, and press in firmly. Sakura's eyes widened. "No, please—"

Her breath hitched into a scream, her body thrashing against the bonds constricting her movements. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sakura knew that no human being should ever be put through this type of pain and torture. It was as if her body was being electrocuted over and over again; tears streamed down her cheeks as it intensified. She wanted to end it; she wanted the horrible agony to stop so she no longer had to suffer through this. More than anything else, she hoped the pain killed her instantly.

But then she thought of all of the ghosts, men and women, which she did pretty much the same thing to—causing them immense pain because they did not do what she asked. At that moment, Sakura truly believed that she deserved what was happening to her. By an act of karma, she was being punished. With that thought clear in her mind, Sakura bit down in her tongue and fought down her screams, bearing the pain for however long it lasted, knowing that she only deserved this.

After what seemed like days later, the horror stopped and the hands slowly left the sides of her head. Danzo walked back into the room, eyes looking over the young woman. The chakra bonds were released and Sakura felt her body sag into the chair, head rolling back on her shoulders as she breathed heavily. Sweat drenched her body and her throat was soar. He bent over her so that his mouth was right next to her ear.

"Let this be a warning to you," he whispered. "This is not something you have any control over. From this moment on, I will be watching over your actions. Fail me again, and there won't be nearly as much mercy as I have shown today."

* * *

Sakura had been transported back to her apartment moments after the threatening statement. The moment the ROOT member let her go and disappeared, she instantly fell to the floor, landing in a heap. For a while she couldn't move. The after-effects of what she had just gone through prevented her from doing anything. Looking through the window to her left, Sakura deduced that it was well into the afternoon, probably around three or so. Training would have started at nine in the morning—she was long late. _'They will find me eventually,_' was the thought that drove her to try and stand. She needed to make sure that whatever damage was done that morning none of it was visible. Leaning against the wall, Sakura slowly made her way to the bathroom. She fumbled with the light, and sank against the counter, looking into the mirror.

She looked horrible, like she had been awake for days on end. On her temples were what looked like the beginning of first-degree burns. She brought her hand up to feel the red marks and winced. When she tried to heal the pain in her head, the bathroom started to spin, the world going black as she collapsed onto the floor, becoming unconscious.

Hours later she woke. Sakura didn't know what time it was, or if it was even the same day. Frankly, she didn't care much either. When she sat up, all the pain in her body increased, allowing the girl to feel everything at once. Her head felt like it was filled with bricks, her joints refusing to move. All of Sakura's muscles felt like they were on fire. She could feel her body screaming at her as she slowly made her way out of the dark bathroom and into her family room. Sakura fell into her couch and stared at her ceiling. She must have drifted into a blank state of mind because sometime later, there was a fierce pounding at her door that jostled her mind awake. Carefully, Sakura forced herself to stand and walk to open the door. As she moved there were sharp pains running along her entire spine, ending around the small of her back. On the other side of the threshold Sasuke stood glaring at her.

"Why weren't you at training today?" he asked harshly. Sakura opened her mouth, but he kept going. "Naruto and I have been looking for you everywhere—_Tsunade_ didn't even know where you were! Did you know we were _this close_ to arranging a search team for you?" he seethed, getting in her face. Sakura hardly reacted to his anger, simply staring at him with a glazed look in her eyes.

"Sorry . . ." she mumbled softly. Sasuke pulled back and took her in; something seemed off.

"Sakura . . . what's going on?" He was confused; she never just let people get in her face and yell at her. It had also been a long while since Sasuke had seen the girl look so beaten and defeated. He realized, with a start, that he was worried. "What are those burns on your head from?" he questioned.

"Nothing . . . just . . . sorry for not showing up today," she said. Sasuke wanted to ask her more questions, like why they couldn't find her, and why she was burned, but one look at her made him decide to wait another day for it.

* * *

For a while, dismissing questions and forming lies came rather easily, for Sakura knew that this was a horrible secret that her friends could never be made aware of. After a while, the fact that she was torturing ghosts and that she had been tortured by Danzo was not the biggest lie she kept to herself.

Something terrible had happened.

Everywhere she looked, they were there, staring at her with dark eyes that spoke of cruel intentions. They were all different, some much worse than others. The ones that Sakura saw the most, the tolerable ones, had hunched backs, hands grey with skin peeling back off of the bone. But there were others that were starting to frequent in her life more than what was possible. _These_ were the ones that caused Sakura to tense up, cringe inside. At first, she saw the ones with the body that was somewhere between a man and dog: long limbs, hairless, ears sticking out sharply from the back of their head, black pointed teeth dripping with what Sakura feared was blood—

And then there were the imprints. The last time Sakura had seen the replays of a person's death was a few days after the Uchiha Massacre. She had been walking past the gate into the haunted-looking district when she heard the distant screams. Running inside, she had then witnessed her first mass-murder, even if it wasn't the real event. At that age, it all looked real enough. And now, nearly ten years later, it all still did. Now, there were the bodies sprawled across the road from war injuries, the man and his wife hanging limply from a large tree she used to venture to when she was younger—

It was only a few weeks after Sakura's punishment that she saw it. She had been walking down the main road home one evening after training, carefully ignoring the yellow eyes that seemed to lurk at the entrance of every alley. She acted as if the claw-like hands didn't bother her, that she didn't notice the maniacal cackling that seemed to echo. Walking up to her apartment, she only felt glad that she was about to be able to drift into sleep. Upon entering, she noticed how it seemed hot inside, even though her air conditioner was clearly working. Closing the door, she could no longer ignore the mist that started to creep in from nowhere, gathering in the center of her living room. Quickly, it turned to a horrible black color, swirling until it formed a cloaked figure, the billows of the material covering it flowing around it as if submerged under water. Sakura froze, looking up into the face under the hood.

The only thing she saw were fathomless blood eyes that showed only death.

It took her a split second to race around the figure and into her room, pulling out the cross and bible, desperate for something that she knew had a chance of working. Flipping through the pages as she slowly crept out, she fell to the floor at the feeling of normalcy, the hellish demon gone.

It was in the following moments that the young medic had pieced together everything, finally realizing the danger of what had been happening to her. Hands shaking slightly, she slowly stood and changed into a pair of black cotton shorts and one of her tank-tops, fingers combing lightly through her long hair before leaving her apartment. She did not, however, forget to grab the blessed necklace with the small silver cross hanging on the white chain, given to her by her brother when she was four.

It was less than ten minutes later that Sakura found herself crawling through Sasuke Uchiha's bedroom window. She knew from the moment that she pulled the window up that her teammate was awake; she didn't bother concealing her chakra, not trying to hide her identity. Once in, she closed the window back up and slowly walked over to the edge of the bed, where one pair of eyes stared up at her, fully awake.

"Sakura, what are you—?" Sasuke stopped mid-question when he noticed the state that his teammate was in. Her hands were shaking; she was biting her bottom lip; her eyes . . . In her eyes, Sasuke saw a wild fear and desperation that was so unnatural for her, it made him decide to start where he left off a while ago. Without thinking much about it, Sasuke shifted over until there was plenty of room for a second body. Sakura saw the nonverbal invitation and immediately crawled under the covers, curling slightly into a ball. The both lay on their sides, facing one another.

"I lied," she whispered. There was a calm silence between the two as Sakura took a deep breath. "There _is_ something going on, and I'm not okay." She paused for a moment to wipe at her eyes, not wanting to cry in front of him. "That mission months ago, in Rice Country? I had a separate mission . . . from Danzo and the council." Sasuke's eyes hardened, but he remained silent. "They know about my powers, Sasuke. And they . . ." She looked away, not able to meet his eyes. "I had to track down a specific ghost and torture him for information—I can do that now, I have been ever since I was twelve."

"After you died," he clarified, starting to understand. Sakura nodded. "What else?"

"It's hard," she whispered, "knowing that I'm causing them so much pain. But I have to do it. If I don't, they'll take away my shinobi status, prevent me from using chakra—" Sakura watched as Sasuke took her hand, holding it tightly.

"No. I won't let them hurt anyone else—not you, too, Sakura—"

"They already did." He froze, his eyes widening a fraction. "I came back from a mission without any information—that ghost got away." she grabbed the hand holding hers, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles in a soothing manner, hoping he would remain calm. She knew he wouldn't. "He did something—Danzo."

Sakura told him everything about that meeting, the torture, the pain, what it felt like. The whole time, his hand tightened around hers, the other clenching into a tight fist, his knuckles going white. The Sharingan was spinning madly in his eyes, blazing with deep hatred. When Sakura stopped talking for a second, his eyes then narrowed. "That's why you weren't at training that day. He was hurting you," Sasuke seethed.

"It wasn't just to hurt me, Sasuke. There was a reason for what he did."

"I don't care! I'm going to kill him—"

"He removed my seal." Sasuke stopped, confusion evident on his face. "When I was first able to see ghosts, it was much worse than it should have been. I had a connection to death, and I could see things I shouldn't have been able to; there was nothing protecting me from everything that could hurt me. A few months before I turned eight, my mother had the Third Hokage place a very rare seal on my inner mind. It prevented me from seeing more than a ghost or two every now and then. It also made sure that the dead couldn't know that I could communicate with them. It protected me." Sakura yawned for a brief moment, exhaustion from earlier taking over. "Danzo removed the seal, Sasuke. I can see people dying over and over again, demons that you wouldn't believe existed. And they can find me now."

"Why didn't you say something before? Why now?" he demanded, trying not to be harsh. He felt something inside him stop when Sakura's eyes suddenly became distant, her breathing quickening, tears forming.

"There was something in my apartment—I'd never seen it before. It was dark, evil . . . something worse than demons."

Sasuke knew from past experiences that she was on a breaking point. He quickly pulled her against him, holding her until her body stopped shaking. "Sasuke, what if that thing was Death itself?" she cried, fear radiating off her body. "I hate this! I hate seeing them, I hate living with this!" she sobbed. "I should have just died four years ago—"

"Shut up, Sakura," Sasuke mumbled, running his fingers through her hair. He held her tighter, trying to keep her from doing something drastic. Hearing her talk about wanting to die wasn't something he could handle. And she was the one that needed the help at this point, the one that needed someone else to take care of things for once. He couldn't decide who he hated more at that moment: Danzo, for being the reason that she could see these things again, or himself for not trying to help her sooner when he knew something was wrong. After what seemed like forever, he pulled away slightly. "Sakura. Look at me." It took a moment for his words to register in his mind. When she did, Sasuke could clearly see the pain etched on her face. "We'll figure this out. Everything is going to be alright." He twisted slightly so that her head was on resting on his folded arm, the other still around her waist, hand now rubbing small circles on her back in an effort to calm her down. Sakura's hands fisted in the material of his shirt, her breaths ragged as she tried to gain control of herself.

"I'm s-so scared . . ."

"I won't let anything hurt you, Sakura."

* * *

Hours later, Sasuke's eyes opened to see the sun breaking through the clouds over the horizon, the new day beginning. Looking down, he was relieved to see Sakura still sleeping, even peacefully. With the skill very few possessed, Sasuke untangled himself from the girl and silently walked out of the room, her slumber undisturbed.

Walking into the kitchen, the teen picked up his cell phone from the counter, scrolling through the contacts. Finding the right one that had memorized years ago, he dialed and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" was the suspicious tone, wondering who'd called his phone that wasn't on the contacts.

"Riko. It's Sasuke."

A sigh of relief from the other end. "Hey, kid. What's with the morning call?" Sasuke remained silent, knowing Riko's mind and protective-nature would kick in. In a matter of seconds, it did. "What's going on? Is Sakura alright?" he asked slowly.

"No, Sakura isn't alright. She doesn't know I'm calling."

"Well, what is it?"

Sasuke thought for a moment, not in the mood to do too much talking. That and he felt that Sakura should explain the most of it. He knew her relationship with Riko was on the rocks, but she had to talk to the man about this issue. "I can't say much, but Danzo had the seal removed," he replied.

Apparently, this was the right thing to say. He head Riko curse lightly. "Listen, Sasuke, and listen carefully. That seal has been the main thing to keep her sane throughout the years. Now that it's gone, she's going to be different—"

"I know. It was removed almost four months ago—"

"_What?!_" There was a short silence. "Get her apartment blessed before anything else. She also has this necklace—a cross, is she wearing it now?" he asked quickly. Sasuke answered yes, for he remembered seeing it when she arrived late last night. The Uchiha then asked if they could just have the seal put back on. "I don't think so. The amount of power it takes to perform such a sealing is incredible. At that time, only the Third had that kind of power. Now, only the Sannin are able to—I don't like Jiryiah, and Tsunade isn't one to believe in what she can't see." There was a shuffling in the background. "Tell Sakura that I'm going to be there in a week." After that the man hung up, not leaving Sasuke with much else.

The following month was almost like intervention for Sakura. Her brother had temporarily come back into her life. Had this been any other time, she would have told him to shove off and leave her alone. But as it was, she was mentally weak and desperate for control in her life. Riko gave off the sense of proper authority and stability, something she needed. Sakura eventually told Naruto everything, which led to Sasuke holding the blonde back from going straight to the Tower and giving the 'old geezers' a piece of his mind. Sasuke had been a different story. While he was desperate to make Danzo pay in full for what he did to Sakura, he had made a promise to Itachi that he would reveal nothing. However, that didn't stop him from leaving a threatening message to Danzo telling him to not use powers that were not his own. Of course, the threat was never traced back to Sasuke, but the secret missions were immediately stopped, giving Sakura less to worry about. Throughout the discovery of the different creatures lurking throughout the village, haunting Sakura, the cloaked figure did not return. That didn't stop Sasuke from sticking with his female friend more often that he had before, making sure she was alright. There was a time when he asked her to describe one of the demons that she saw. He worried for her sanity, but at the same time glad he couldn't see them. After a few weeks, Riko left once he was sure Sakura would be completely safe in her home after placing several jutsu on it and having it blessed.

After that long month, life started to go back to something easily tolerable for the small group of misfits: Sakura constantly wore the necklace, ensuring that the demons couldn't physically touch her. Naruto trained harder every day, hoping to one day take down Danzo and change the distribution of power in the village. He had also taken a small liking to Hinata Hyuuga. Sasuke continued to watch for Sakura's safety, whether he was made aware of it or not.

Yes, for a short while, everything was normal.

* * *

**Ignore the fact I've been MIA. That is all.**


	32. The Unexpected

_"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it." _

_~ Jack Handey_

* * *

It was a type of drama that was old to Sakura. Not foreign, but after everything that had been going on in her life as of late, definitely not familiar either. She sat there at the edge of the room, observing the chaos before her. '_What have I gotten myself into?' _she wondered to herself, regretting the deal she had made. It was stupid to ever agree to such a thing as this, but Sakura knew deep down that there also would have been no way of getting out it.

'It' being the infamous and unavoidable Shinobi Gathering. The gathering was a large event for the shinobi of the Five Great Shinobi Nations to gather and associate with one another. For the councils and leaders it was a political tactic to form bonds with other nations and get a better understanding of the relationship between each other; it was rare, however, for the kage of non-host nations to be present, for security purposes. However, they did send representatives to be in their place. For the majority of the Shinobi, it was a chance to try and form better relations in a civil manner compared to the Chuunin Exams. The aforementioned drama that Sakura was starting to see unfold was the crowd of women, all ages, fighting through the racks of dresses in the large store. She could see the cashiers, clerks and store manager going insane with delight; considering Konoha was primarily a Shinobi village, civilian stores were rarely ventured with so many customers. But this was a special occasion that only came once every two years, causing kunoichi everywhere to run out searching for the perfect outfit for the event.

Sakura shrunk back against the wall as a young Genin sprinted towards a rack of sequenced dresses, fighting for one in particular that was already in the hands of another. _This_ was the madness Sakura wished to excuse herself from.

"Hey, Bill-Board Brow! Get over here, will ya?"

Sakura could have killed Ino in that moment. The Yamanaka rushed over and grabbed Sakura's arm, dragging her through the racks toward the center of the store. "Ino, can I go home yet?"

"No!"

With a sigh, Sakura abandoned her effort of resistance and relented to her best friend's antics. Sakura had never been to the gathering before; the last time it took place she had been in the hospital after a training accident with Tsunade. The time before that she was still a student at the Academy, therefore unqualified to attend.

After some prompting from Ino, Sakura began looking through the dresses for something she would like. The concept of looking for something that was cute for the purpose of looking good in comparison to other girls was something she hadn't done since her early Genin days. Now, whenever she was out buying clothes, everything was about convenience, how it would help her on missions, what all she could store in it.

"Hey, what about this one?" Ino asked, holding up a light pink dress.

Sakura wondered if it were possible to be blinded by excessive glitter and sequence. The thought must have shown on her face, because Ino's shoulders drooped from failing yet again to get Sakura excited about the event.

"Can you please just have fun, do it for me?" Ino pleaded. "I don't know what's been going on lately, but you haven't been the same for a while. I don't like seeing you so….depressed." Sakura looked down; she actually felt a little guilty, but couldn't really say why. "But please, can you do this for me? I know how selfish it is to ask, but..." Sakura could see Ino fighting tears, and understood her guilt. Sakura had forgotten that she was not the only one going through hard times, for Ino had just recently lost her sensei. The closer Sakura looked the more apparent Ino's pain was.

They were best friends, almost sisters, yet could never understand they other's pain and suffering. But they didn't need to. Pain is a relative feeling, experienced differently by the next individual. They could, however, accept and understand the fact that another was feeling pain.

Sakura smiled half-heartedly and stood. "Okay, fine. I'm going to humor you, Ino: find me the ultimate dress."

From that moment on Sakura was thrown into dozens of dresses, making several trips to the dressing room. Whenever she was done with one set to try on, Ino would run around the store and grab more selections, never allowing Sakura to step foot out of the dressing room unless it was to show off the current contender. It all came to a point when Sakura stepped out in one of the last dresses Ino managed to find. When Ino looked at her in the gown, she simply stared as a grin slowly made its way onto her face.

"That is your dress!"

"Ahhh, wasn't that fun, Sakura?"

Sakura could only sigh, actually exhausted. The two had spent over three hours in one store, something she had forgotten that Ino had the stamina for. "Ino, I don't think I want to do that ever again…." She said slowly as they exited the building. The blonde laughed, hugging Sakura around the shoulders. "I'm serious."

"Just trust me on this one, okay? You'll be turning heads next week at the Gathering! And no one else will be able to look as good as you do in that dress!" Sakura rolled her eyes, though she hoped Ino was right. "I'm heading home now. I know you have shoes to go with that dress because I bought them for you for your birthday this year, so we have that covered," she said with a smile.

They eventually exchanged goodbyes before parting ways on the road. Sakura pulled her coat tighter around her frame, wishing it could actually block her from the shadowed figures lurking about. In the store, it hadn't been so bad. The spirits had been in similar spirits and seemed to blend in with the shoppers: observing the outfits, making comments on those trying stuff on.

Now, the sun was going down, and the demons were coming out to play in the night. The fear of the darker ones conditioned Sakura to become terrified of the dark, especially when she wasn't inside the blessed walls of her apartment. She could feel the eyes as they watched her walk down the street. She could feel her heart begin to race and the thought of them coming close to her, their clawed hands touching her. There was a snicker to her left; the same crippled man that enjoyed her discomfort of their presence. Sakura didn't know how or when he died, but he always made it a point to show her his hallowed face, the bloodshot eyes that bulged out of his skull, the yellowed teeth.

Sakura quickened her pace, keeping her gaze forward. She would not look at any of them, not tonight. All she could allow herself to think about was getting back to sanctuary, where they couldn't linger around her, couldn't bother her.

"Sakura."

The pinkette stumbled slightly, turning her head to see who had addressed her. Sasuke stood at the kunai shop, giving her a calculating look. Sakura made her way over to the weapons stand, keeping her eyes fixated on her teammate. "Hey," she replied.

Sasuke continued to look at her—no, observe her. Uchihas do not simply _stare_ at people. Yes, he was observing her and her….odd behavior. Her eyes were darting everywhere, pale face, hands shaking. "You look terrible," he stated bluntly. That earned him a glare and a swift kick to the shin. "I'm taking you home."

Sakura didn't object to that. As long as he started moving before the dog-headed man came out from his hiding spot in the alley. He had been watching Sakura lately in a way she was not comfortable with at all. Her hand came up and gripped at the cross around her neck; the demon shrunk back into the shadows, no longer visible to her. This action didn't go unnoticed by her teammate. She didn't want to deal with this, she needed to distract herself.

"So are you going to the Shinobi Gathering next week?"

Sakura was kicking herself inside. What a stupid question to ask! Of all things Sasuke would ever do, the last thing on the list would be to attend a social event. "Of course not," he scoffed. "I have better things to do; I need to be training." Sakura rolled her eyes; it was such a typical answer from Sasuke.

"Well, if you change your mind, I hope you remember to wear something nice," she joked as they approached her apartment door. His only response was a mild grunt.

"We'll see."

* * *

_One week later_

The village was alive with excitement. Caravans from the hidden villages had been strolling through the main gates since late morning, causing the street merchants to go into a frenzy trying to sell whatever was presented on their stands, hoping for good business. The students at the Academy were on service duty, cleaning the village and stringing up sphere-shaped lanterns along the main shopping districts. It was a rare sight to see the Hidden Leaf Village so alive with excitement. Sakura could feel the sense of joy in the villagers as she walked down the street back home. It had been an easy day's work at the hospital, where she was finishing her internship. There were no serious injuries at all during the day, a few Gennin with minor scratches, a couple common infections from the elderly patients. Actually, there was so little to do that Sakura was free to leave almost an hour early, to her great surprise and relief. She now had more time to get ready for the Shinobi Gathering, which was only in a few hours.

By the time she was walking up the steps to her apartment complex the sun was starting to set and people were beginning to light the lanterns. Walking into her apartment Sakura found Ino setting up a table with a large mirror propped up against the wall, various types of makeup laying around the floor. Both the girls' dresses were hanging over the back of the couch, their shoes set on the floor.

"You know this can be considered 'breaking and entering', right?"

Ino looked up from the makeup. "I didn't break anything," she replied, smirking. "Now go take a fast shower so we can get started!"

By the time Sakura stepped out of the bathroom Ino already had her hair done up into a mass or curls that took off several inches of her hair's length and gave extra volume. Sakura was extremely impressed. "How did you manage to get the curl to start all the way at the crown? You're hair is so long, usually you can only get the bottom half to actually curl," Sakura pondered out loud.

"You curl small segments of each section of hair as you go down," she replied. "Makes it easier, and looks more natural than the typical baby doll curl."

Within the following hour, the two managed to get Sakura's hair into an elegant bun and apply their makeup. It was only an hour until the Shinobi Gathering when they were finally putting on their dresses. Sakura stood in front of her bathroom mirror and examined the gown she had purchased. It was a jade green color; the fabric was thin and smooth. It was designed strapless with a sweetheart neckline; extending from the chest to the floor was a flowery ruffle that looked like an upside-down 'V'. Sakura looked at the state her body was in. She had lost a significant amount of weight from all the stress she had undergone the past six months. Her shoulders seemed too narrow, the collarbone stuck out just a little too much. If it hadn't been for Naruto taking her to Ichiraku every other day, Sakura didn't doubt she would weigh a lot less. Ino popped into the bathroom. "What are you doing?"

"I think I need to put on some weight," Sakura said plainly, turning slightly. Ino raised her eyebrows.

"You would be the only girl to ever say such a thing," she commented, then looked closer at Sakura's shape. "Yeah, you do look a little on the sickly side, which doesn't help the size of your forehead," she joked, darting out before Sakura could catch up and tackle her.

It hardly seemed like any time had passed when the two were leaving the apartment. Ino was being escorted by her father ("I am not in the mood to be worrying about immature boys tonight, Ino. I'm keeping my eye on things." "Daddy!").

Sakura began walking down the street toward the Gathering. Due to the amount of people that were expected to come the event was being held in a large practice field down by the lake. Sakura came up to the bridge where Team 7 used to meet before training. She paused on the bridge, looking at the water below her. Floating sporadically along the slow current were lanterns with a dim glow inside of them, all heading the same direction. Their lights cast a calm glow that looked like orbs of light in the dark the further away they floated. Looking down, Sakura caught a glimpse of her reflection. In the dim light with the stars above her, Sakura couldn't help but appreciate how she looked in that moment. It had been a long time since Sakura gave much attention to her appearance. She had given up on looking perfect during her first attempt at the Chuunin Exams in the Forest of Death. She could even appreciate the reflection of the person next to her, who happened to look somewhat decent, if a little awkward, in a suit.

"So I see you decided to come after all, Sasuke." Sakura straightened up so they could walk to the lake. Sasuke kept his hands in his pockets, his eyes moving around to take in everything before him. "Do you think it will be a good night?" she asked.

"I don't foresee any types of outbreaks or attacks. All of the ANBU are on guard, and no one is enough of an idiot to start anything with the Fifth here," he said, eyeing a particular group whose headbands indicated they were from Rain. Sakura smiled; it was just like Sasuke to be on guard, but she couldn't blame him. There did happen to be quite a few shinobi here that weren't necessarily close allies of the Leaf Village. If it were Sakura's choice, the event would not be held inside her home village.

As they approached the lake and training ground, Sakura was in awe at the sight. Round tables were set up around the training area, lights strung up around the trees, and all the paper lanterns swirling around on top of the calm water of the lake. Off to the side was a small group of musicians providing soft music for people to listen and dance to; the sound of a flute drifted through the air like a calming breeze. On the other side of the area were several long tables lined with trays and large pots of food that were being kept hot by expert chefs. The two teammates made their way over to a table full of others from the original Rookie 12 as well Team Gai. Sakura sat next to Naruto, Sasuke on her other side. She noticed that the only ones walking around were the political figures, talking with other leaders and top shinobi. Whether the feeling in her gut was excitement or a sense of being overwhelmed by it all, Sakura couldn't tell.

"This is a bit much, don't you think?" she asked aloud, still taking everything in.

Hinata shook her head and took a sip of her water. "Not so much," she said quietly. "This is about what it usually is. Actually, last time was much more extravagant," she added as an afterthought. Previously the Gathering was held in the Hidden Sand Village. Even now there were still people talking about it.

The evening continued on smoothly. Dinner was served and people walked around for a bit afterwards as they started to socialize. The entire event was meant to help bridge alliances between the villages, both on the political and social level, but Sakura noticed that people were reluctant to do so. Even the representatives for the absent kage were barely speaking to each other. The music eventually picked up, bringing people out to dance. Sakura watched as her friends started to pair up with each other: Shikamaru and Temari were nearly attached all night, Neji—almost reluctantly—approached Tenten with too much formality to be comfortable, and even Naruto and Hinata had ended up together. Although that last pairing was mainly due to Ino shoving Hinata into Naruto, so Sakura wasn't sure if that counted much. After a short while this left Sakura and Ino sitting at the table by themselves. "If it weren't for my dad watching like a hawk, I swear the boys would be swarming me right now," she grumbled, her arms crossed.

"Don't frown, it will cause premature wrinkles," Sakura replied lightly, sipping at her drink. She glanced around. "Besides, he left ten minutes ago. Doesn't he have a mission tomorrow morning or something?"

Ino shot up, a cat-like grin on her face. "Yes!" And with that she made a beeline towards a Jounin a few years older. Sakura sighed, _'There goes my company for the night,' _she thought.

Everyone continued with their frivolity, the worries of the world gone from their minds. Sakura deeply wished she could do the same; she longed to somehow forget about her impending fate. It was an odd feeling knowing you were going to die soon. Sakura deeply envied those who were so blissfully unaware of their undetermined fate. They could go after anything, no idea of what was ahead of them on the path of life. Sakura wanted to so much to forget what she saw in the book, for it to not even exist.

The music changed, sounds of a slow guitar strumming and a cello filling the air. Couples formed and swayed to the lulling rhythm, a sense of calm filling the air. Sakura turned her eyes away for the happy people, focusing instead on the ice in her glass as she swirled in around.

"You don't look so thrilled."

Sakura didn't even shift her gaze. She had sensed Sasuke coming back to the table, was not surprised by his sudden presence. "Where were you?" she asked. She looked at him and watched as his eyes shifted to a group of men standing several tables over. "Who are they?"

"No one important," he muttered. Sakura raised an eyebrow at his comment as he took a long gulp of the beverage in his hands. "They knew my father. Knew what he was up to." He took another long drink from the glass, finishing it quickly. Sakura took this as a sign that he wasn't in any mood to be there another moment. She stood from her seat and waited for him to follow before heading off the field and away from the Gala, Sasuke at her side.

They walked through the roads until the came back to the bridge where Team 7 used to meet before training. The lanterns continued to float through the river, passing under the bridge, giving off an eerie glow in the dark night. Sakura leaned over the railing, gazing at the Hokage faces that looked over the village. "Do you ever wonder what they think?" she asked out loud.

Sasuke momentarily glanced at her before turning his attention back to the south side of the village. "The Hokage?"

Sakura shrugged, despite the fact he wasn't looking at her. "The Hokage, the people who founded the village, all our ancestors. Sometimes I wonder what they think of the village today, if they're happy with how our generation is handling it. Do you ever wonder that?"

Sasuke didn't reply; Sakura didn't expect him to. It was an odd thing to wonder, she was aware of that. But she did wonder. "Sometimes I wonder what they think of us. Are they satisfied with our work, proud of the progress, or disappointed in the world as a whole? There is still war and hatred and darkness. Evil is around every corner, attacking those who least expect it…" she trailed off, thinking of everyone around her that suffered. She glanced over at Sasuke, wondering what he thought of it. He was still gazing towards the south, his body tense. She saw his hand shake momentarily before clenching his fist. _'Is he thinking of his family?'_ she pondered.

At that thought, Sakura felt a ping of guilt. Maybe her words had triggered something in him. Did he wonder what his parents thought of him and Itachi? She turned back towards the rock faces, staring at her own reflection in the water. She was considering cutting her hair short again when she felt Sasuke walk up behind her. Still thinking she may have upset him on some level, she started to form an apology while turning around. "Look, I'm sorry if I—"

Her words were cut off by a strong hand gripping her around the throat, pushing her against the bridge railing. Frozen in shock, Sakura stared into the eyes full of bloodlust, watching pulsing purple marks creep quickly across Sasuke's body.


End file.
